Biography:

Brian Baird was born in Chama, N.M., raised in rural western Colorado, and resides in Vancouver, Wash. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and both a master's and a doctoral degree in rural mental health from the University of Wyoming.

His parents were a teacher and a small business owner. Baird worked his way through college by hauling garbage at a state park, picking fruit, and clearing trails for the U.S. Forest Service.

Baird has been active in local party politics since he moved to Washington state in 1980 to work at the veterans' hospital in American Lake, near Tacoma. He taught psychology at Pacific Lutheran University for 12 years.

After narrowly losing a 1996 race for the U.S. House, he ran again in 1998, and won.

Baird lives with his wife, Rachel Nugent, who works at the National Institutes of Health on hunger issues.

Past Campaigns:

Brian Baird was narrowly defeated by Republican Linda Smith in his first race for Washington's 3rd District U.S. House seat in 1996.

He ran again in 1998, but did not face Smith, who instead ran for the U.S. Senate.

Baird defeated Republican Don Benton with 55 percent of the vote. He was re-elected in 2000 with 56 percent of the vote, defeating building industry lobbyist Trent Matson of Olympia.

A rematch was planned, but Matson abruptly withdrew from the race in May, 2002. State Sen. Joseph Zarelli of Ridgefield, near Vancouver, took Matson's place but managed only 43 percent of the total vote in a dry run on primary day. He later acknowledged that he received unemployment benefits while serving as a state legislator, after losing his "day job" as a security consultant in August of 2001.

Baird was re-elected in 2002 with 62 percent of the vote.

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