Race getting ugly for 4th District seat | News

All bets for a clean race for the 4th District State Representative seat have been called off after challenger Amy Biviano aired out incumbent Rep. Matt Shea's dirty laundry, circulating a mailer highlighting Shea's run-in with the law.

The flyer is titled "Lawbreakers Should Not Be Lawmakers" and Biviano said voters should know about Shea's character.

When she first signed up to run for state representative,� Amy Biviano said she knew it would be a tough race.

"I'm a democrat running in a very conservative district," she said.

video She was hoping to focus on issues such as education and ways to stimulate the economy. However, the race has quickly turned from politics to personal attacks.

"We don't need people who are hot headed and bullying like that in a legislature that is based upon negotiation and cooperation," she said.

The race heated up a few weeks ago when Shea took a picture of himself standing in Biviano's driveway, shortly after beating her in the primary by more than 6,000 votes.

"I said 'Look, that makes me really uncomfortable as a mother,'" Biviano said.

Biviano's two kids were home alone when Shea took the picture. Biviano is now fighting back by sending out 28,000 mailers highlighting that Shea displayed a gun to another driver.

Shea was found guilty of carrying a loaded gun in his car with an expired concealed weapons permit.

"It's a question of character; our voters deserve a choice they need to know and make a fully informed decision and if after giving them all the information if they decide Matt Shea is the better choice that's fine, but they need to know the character of their sitting legislator and how that effects his decision making process," Biviano said.

When contacted Wednesday afternoon, Shea said he was in the process of preparing a statement on this matter which, as of the time this story was published, he has not shared with KXLY 4 News.

However, on Monday he referred to the mailing on his Facebook page, writing, "Please join me in calling on my opponent and the democrat party to stop their politics of hate and division. This is Spokane Valley, not Seattle, and we are Americans that should be working together to solve the great crisis facing our nation."