I have the highest regard for Sen. Cheryl Pflug. I understand and accept her need to move on to a new opportunity and pass the torch of state senator to someone else.

Mark Mullet is fairly well known here in town but Brad Toft is not. I asked each candidate where he stands on several important policy issues – gay marriage, medical marijuana, state spending, state income tax, alternatives to Medicaid and gun control.

• Mullet responded promptly with pretty good answers, from my point of view. He bills himself as a fiscal conservative and social liberal. So far his positions align with that, except he seems a little soft on defending the right of sane, law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.

• Toft did not respond, and its been five days. I’m getting the impression he wants to avoid controversial issues.

I don’t usually vote for Democrats, but in this case, Mark Mullet seems like the best choice to be our new state senator.

Charles Winters, Issaquah