Locally and nationally, much hangs in the balance in the Nov. 2 congressional elections. State by state and district by district, voters will be weighing national issues — the economy, the deficit, health care, bailouts, stimulus — along with the benefits they’ve received through the efforts of those representing them in Congress.

Our editorial board has been weighing those same issues, which often conflict with another, and it’s reflected in our mixed bag of congressional endorsements. We’re endorsing the re-election of Democrats Sen. Patty Murray and Sixth Dist. Rep. Norm Dicks, and the election of First Dist. Republican challenger James Watkins.

WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray will be in Whatcom County today, August 31.

Murray is scheduled to tour the Intalco Aluminum Works plant on Mountain View Road in Ferndale and meet with workers.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray told 325 jubilant supporters in Vancouver on Friday that she wants another six -year term so she can keep fighting for Washington families and small businesses on Main Street.

Fresh from a hard-fought primary election in which her tally fell short of 50 percent, the three-term Democratic senator delivered a populist speech at an old-fashioned, sign-waving rally at Hamilton Hall at the Fort Vancouver National Site.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday morning broke months of partisan standoff over massive aid to states, passing a key procedural vote on an amendment by Sen. Patty Murray that would funnel $26.1 billion for Medicaid and teacher funding.

For Washington state, the measure is expected to bring in $543 million – a combination of additional funding for public schools and extra matching money for Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance plan for the poor.

WASHINGTON — Washington state will receive another piece of the $787 billion federal stimulus spending package, this time a $6 million grant to train workers in energy-efficient construction jobs.

The money will be used to pay for 4,700 veterans, disabled or low-income adults and other residents to get certified to work in green industries — one of the fields targeted for investment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama last February.

The grant was announced Wednesday by U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis twice, once with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and separately with U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island.

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Facilitating Outstanding Classrooms Using Size Reduction (FOCUS) Act of 2009, which would provide states with the resources they need to reduce class sizes across the early grade levels in order to provide students and teachers with an educational environment that encourages maximum student academic growth. Murray’s bill will also put in place evaluation tools to assess the program’s effectiveness.

“As a mother and former teacher, I have seen first-hand how much better students learn when they are in classes small enough for them to get the personal attention they deserve,” said Senator Patty Murray. “The FOCUS Act will provide school districts with the resources they need to reduce class sizes, recruit qualified teachers, and offer students the educational environment they need to learn and succeed.”