In Washington's Eighth District, Incumbent Dave Reichert or Newcomer Darcy Burner?

Carnation, Washington -- The congressional seat for Washington's eighth district is heating up. For the second time, the incumbent Dave Reichert (R) is facing Darcy Burner (D). During the last election, Darcy Burner lost by a very narrow margin and she hopes to overcome that with a victory this November. However, according to a SurveyUSA poll taken in June of this year, Reichert leads Burner overall, with women preferring Darcy Burner and men opting for Reichert.

It seems Darcy Burner still has some issues to overcome. Reichert's claim to fame was as the King County Sheriff who captured and brought the Green River serial killer in 2001. As such, he gained a reputation for justice and strength in law enforcement. Particularly after 9/11, when the country was concentrating more on security than economic issues, this gave him a very strong edge in the last election. He also has 30 years of politics and became chairman of the Homeland Security subcommittee. All of these garnered strong support in a district that has always voted Republican.

However, Burner, though lacking a political background, is certainly familiar to the skills of organization, cooperation and hard work, and no stranger to high pressure careers. She worked her way up in her positions at Microsoft to lead manager on a company initiative program. This career track meant long hours, oversight, organization, teamwork, and dedication. Though not strictly political, many feel these skills will suit her well in the position of district representative. In addition, her background of being both an air force child, a schoolteacher's child, while watching their parents pay off huge medical bills for a sibling, may keep her in touch with what it means to be on the short side of a paycheck and lacking health insurance. At a time when economy is on the minds of a great number of Americans, this could help her chances.

Particularly after 9/11, Dave Reichert developed a reputation for being a "Bush man", voting with his party and President Bush on the majority of issues. Lately his voting record has been changing, particularly since his narrow win over Burner in the last election. Though there have been some straying from party lines, including his vote for stem cell research, many democrats point to the huge fund-raising efforts by top members of the Republican Party, including Newt Gingrich and President Bush, intimating with the largesse raised from those individuals, his voting record would be apt to continue to support their efforts.

On the other hand, Darcy Burner has surprised individuals with her intelligent and thoughtful views on Iraq and on the FISA situation. "A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq", co-authored by Burner, was applauded by both military and nonmilitary experts alike while her stance on FISA showed she was not afraid to voice her opinion even when running contrary to many in her own party. She also impressed many with her well run campaign, showing off her skills at management and organization.

Beating an incumbent is never easy. It will be interesting to see if the current disappointment with the status quo will be enough to persuade individuals wary of a candidate with plenty of life experience, but lacking extensive political experience. Will the eighth district again run toward a hard line security course or will they be open to other alternatives? We'll all find out this November.

Sources:

SurveyUSA, Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #14025, Accessed 7/17/2008
Real Clear Politics, Washington-8: America's Swing District, by Reid Wilson, 7/7/2007
USA Today, 8th District battle in Washington a surprising tossup, by John Ritter, 11/1/2006
Congressman Dave Reichert, US House of Representatives, Biography, Accessed 7/17/2008
Darcy Burner | Democrat for Congress, Biography, Accessed 7/17/2008
Darcy Burner | Democrat for Congress, A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, Accessed 7/17/2008