Lisa Brown—a former state legislator and chancellor of Washington State University who's well known east of the mountains—announced today she'll take on Cathy McMorris Rodgers in 2018.

McMorris Rodgers represents Washington's 5th Congressional District, which includes Spokane, and is now the fourth highest ranking Republican in Washington D.C. An ally of President Donald Trump, McMorris Rodgers voted for both Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, for repealing internet privacy protections, against requesting Trump's tax returns, and against at least two equal pay acts. But she wins re-election easily. A Democrat has not held the seat since 1994.

Brown represented Spokane in the Washington State Legislature for 20 years, including time as the senate majority leader. She then served as chancellor of Washington State University, helping lead the effort to create a medical school in Spokane. She told the Spokesman Review McMorris Rodgers "has become out of touch with the district. I think there is a danger, when you’re in a position for a long time, that you get into that Beltway mentality.”

Two other challengers are already in the race (former Bernie Sanders delegate and WSU grad Matthew Sutherland and independent Eric Agnew), but Brown will present the most viable and well-funded threat to McMorris Rodgers.

While Democrats are looking to ride an anti-Trump wave in 2018, Brown appears ready to play to more conservative eastern Washington.

"Good ideas and good solutions don’t come with a partisan label," Brown said in a statement today. "We need more people talking to each other, instead of blaming each other. I know we can work together to find common ground and get results because that’s what I’ve done my entire life."

If you're one of the 10 Stranger readers in eastern Washington, you might remember that for our "Spokane Issue" this spring, I hung out with Ben Stuckart, Spokane's straight-talking, cigarette-smoking city council president who supports single-payer healthcare and calls caring for the poor a "moral responsibility." At the time, Stuckart presented the most credible threat to McMorris Rodgers, but he later dropped out citing family health issues. Today, Stuckart threw his support behind Brown, saying she's "ready to get it done for Eastern Washington in Congress."