It's not over in WA-08: Neither Darcy Burner nor Dave Reichert assured of victory
The race for Washington State's 8th Congressional District remains extraordinarily and unsurprisingly tight as of this afternoon.
Tonight, King County is due to report more more absentee (or mail-in) votes, which should give us some clues about future trends.
A few political observers have all but predicted a Reichert victory, with some commentators saying they expect Reichert to hold on. Such speculation is premature and unwarranted. This has been a close, hard fought race, and there is no clear outcome in sight at the moment.
That Darcy Burner was able to come out of nowhere and mount such a strong challenge to Dave Reichert is a testament to her incredible knowledge and skills. She raised over $3 million, built a grassroots army, and inspired activists and voters throughout the district to believe in a better future for America.
She forced Dave Reichert to bankrupt his war chest, to go negative, and to defend his abysmal record in Congress (which he could not manage to successfully defend - instead, he ran on his "experience").
Now she is on the cusp of a squeaky close but stunning victory.
Certainly there is a possibility that won't happen - that Darcy will lose, and Reichert will win reelection. But either way, it's surely going to be close. Again, though, that speaks volumes about Darcy's ability to compete despite not having any advantage in the name recognition department.
Darcy's candidacy, whether it translates into elected office or not, is already a great victory - for her, for us, for the Democratic Party, and for the people of the 8th District and Washington State.
Darcy created and ran a campaign that was not orchestrated by D.C. political operatives, but was directed and led by a people-powered movement within and around the district.
Darcy's campaign, like the candidate it backed, was open, friendly, and welcoming. Darcy made an effort to respect not only the progressive netroots and the Democratic grassroots, but also working families in the district who are not very involved in politics but are concerned for their own future and that of their childrens'.
Darcy's campaign was fresh, invigorating, inspiring, and original. Whether Darcy becomes the next Representative from the 8th or not, her candidacy will serve as a model for other Democrats in future election cycles, both here and in other states. She should be very proud of that.
As for this election, there's no reason for progressives and Democrats not to be optimistic. We've come out ahead in close elections before, like in 2000 when Maria Cantwell won or in 2004 when Christine Gregoire won.
(And though the local right wingers would have you believe it's due to foul play, that's simply not the case. Washington's a blue state. Naturally, it stands to reason that Democrats would have an edge in close elections).
And Darcy Burner is already outperforming Dave Ross, who was defeated by Reichert two years ago after getting nastily hammered late in the campaign by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
If any predictions are to be made about what will happen, the only sound prediction to make is this: the race is going to get tighter. Support from Pierce County has been giving Reichert an edge thus far, but votes from there are drying up. What we're seeing now just may be Dave Reichert's high water mark.
King County Elections is counting absentees slowly and deliberately - and for good reason. After all the criticism of the division after the close gubernatorial election in 2004, the department really wants to ensure that mistakes and other embarrassing snafus are avoided. They are making strides towards better management.
The mail in ballots yet to be counted and or reported will determine the outcome in this race. We'll be watching and remaining optimistic about Darcy's chances.
Tonight, King County is due to report more more absentee (or mail-in) votes, which should give us some clues about future trends.
A few political observers have all but predicted a Reichert victory, with some commentators saying they expect Reichert to hold on. Such speculation is premature and unwarranted. This has been a close, hard fought race, and there is no clear outcome in sight at the moment.
That Darcy Burner was able to come out of nowhere and mount such a strong challenge to Dave Reichert is a testament to her incredible knowledge and skills. She raised over $3 million, built a grassroots army, and inspired activists and voters throughout the district to believe in a better future for America.
She forced Dave Reichert to bankrupt his war chest, to go negative, and to defend his abysmal record in Congress (which he could not manage to successfully defend - instead, he ran on his "experience").
Now she is on the cusp of a squeaky close but stunning victory.
Certainly there is a possibility that won't happen - that Darcy will lose, and Reichert will win reelection. But either way, it's surely going to be close. Again, though, that speaks volumes about Darcy's ability to compete despite not having any advantage in the name recognition department.
Darcy's candidacy, whether it translates into elected office or not, is already a great victory - for her, for us, for the Democratic Party, and for the people of the 8th District and Washington State.
Darcy created and ran a campaign that was not orchestrated by D.C. political operatives, but was directed and led by a people-powered movement within and around the district.
Darcy's campaign, like the candidate it backed, was open, friendly, and welcoming. Darcy made an effort to respect not only the progressive netroots and the Democratic grassroots, but also working families in the district who are not very involved in politics but are concerned for their own future and that of their childrens'.
Darcy's campaign was fresh, invigorating, inspiring, and original. Whether Darcy becomes the next Representative from the 8th or not, her candidacy will serve as a model for other Democrats in future election cycles, both here and in other states. She should be very proud of that.
As for this election, there's no reason for progressives and Democrats not to be optimistic. We've come out ahead in close elections before, like in 2000 when Maria Cantwell won or in 2004 when Christine Gregoire won.
(And though the local right wingers would have you believe it's due to foul play, that's simply not the case. Washington's a blue state. Naturally, it stands to reason that Democrats would have an edge in close elections).
And Darcy Burner is already outperforming Dave Ross, who was defeated by Reichert two years ago after getting nastily hammered late in the campaign by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
If any predictions are to be made about what will happen, the only sound prediction to make is this: the race is going to get tighter. Support from Pierce County has been giving Reichert an edge thus far, but votes from there are drying up. What we're seeing now just may be Dave Reichert's high water mark.
King County Elections is counting absentees slowly and deliberately - and for good reason. After all the criticism of the division after the close gubernatorial election in 2004, the department really wants to ensure that mistakes and other embarrassing snafus are avoided. They are making strides towards better management.
The mail in ballots yet to be counted and or reported will determine the outcome in this race. We'll be watching and remaining optimistic about Darcy's chances.
