YAKIMA, Wash. -- Rep. David Taylor didn't meet his campaign fundraising goal; then again, his opponent dropped out following the primary so he didn't really have to.

Taylor, a Moxee Republican who set out to raise at least $75,000, ended up raising just less than $55,000, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. But that should be plenty, seeing as Democrat John Gotts dropped out of the 15th District state House race with a blog post last month, endorsing Taylor in the process.

That has allowed Taylor, 37, to focus less on traditional campaigning and more on "using the campaign trail as an opportunity to listen."

So what have people been saying?

"Fairly consistently, basically since May, it's jobs," Taylor said. "People are still talking about the need for jobs and economic development."

Creating jobs in the 15th District, which includes Klickitat and Skamania counties as well as parts of Yakima and Clark counties, requires solving problems like the shortage of water, Taylor said. Constituents in rural places like White Salmon can't understand why there's not enough usable water when they can look out the window at the Columbia River.

"I'm an advocate of storage. ... With a little ingenuity, we can address those needs," Taylor said.

He was appointed last spring to replace longtime state Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, after Gov. Chris Gregoire named Newhouse head of the state Department of Agriculture. A rancher and land-use consultant, Taylor said he's committed to continuing Newhouse's legacy of standing up for Central Washington's farmers.

That could mean expanded grazing on public lands, and it could mean legislation easing regulations on hops so they could be used to produce other things, such as biofuel instead of just beer. That would have helped farmers this year, when the amount of hops grown more than met the demand of the beer industry, Taylor said.

"We've got hops that were not harvested this year," he said. "So, is there something else we can do?"

The Republican candidate also lists creating more vocational education opportunities as a goal. But, with a short legislative session next year and another projected multibillion dollar budget deficit, he knows any legislation with a price tag will be a tough sell in Olympia.

As for his own campaign, he's been surprised at just how well he's been able to raise funds, given the lack of opponent. Much of the money has come from companies like Anheuser-Busch and political action committees like the conservative-minded Affordable Housing Council of Central Washington, representing builders.

But thousands of dollars have also come from individual donors within the 15th District.

"My ties are to the 15th District," he said.

* Pat Muir can be reached at 509-577-7693, or at pmuir@yakimaherald.com.

David Taylor

Age: 37

Occupation: Rancher and land-use consultant.

Previously held elected office: 15th District state representative, April 2009 to present.

Education: Bachelor's degree in geography with emphasis on land studies, Central Washington University.