(percussive music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS 9 Newsroom.

Washington candidates are spinning contrasting narratives on federal spending.

The campaign of Matt Larkin, who is running to unseat Democratic representative Kim Schreyer, for example, has embraced a conservative playbook, one that blames economic woes on sweeping federal investments, enacted by Democrats.

Meanwhile, Democrats have advanced a vision of the federal government, playing a robust role in the economy.

Pumping billions of dollars of emergency pandemic aid into local governments and schools, while also passing spending packages for things like transportation and healthcare.

Recent polling shows that economic concerns remain a priority for many voters.

The results on November 8th May say less about the state of the economy than the stories voters want to believe.

I'm Starla Sampaco, find nonprofit, Northwest news every day, on crosscut.com.

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