BREAKING: Rodney Tom drops out of 8th District race, will support Darcy Burner

Rodney Tom announced to his supporters this morning that he is ending his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 8th Congressional District and is endorsing Darcy Burner, who now becomes the only declared Democratic candidate. No doubt Tom realized after the Burn Bush fundraiser that his campaign stood no chance of overtaking Darcy's. A wise move on Tom's part.

UPDATE: Here is Tom's statement:

State Senator Rodney Tom, D-48th District, announced today he is withdrawing from the 8th District Congressional race. "Our fundraising was going great, but Darcy Burner’s campaign has been phenomenal", Tom said. "Darcy has over 3,200 contributors, an incredible statement to her broad base of support. Reichert's idea of campaign finance reform is having $10,000 dinners. Democracy was never intended to be limited strictly to millionaires. Clearly, he’s out of touch with the common voter."

"My purpose from the start was to replace the current Congressman with someone who actually represents the values of the 8th district. Dave Reichert is completely out of step with the values shared in this district. Darcy Burner’s campaign has proven they have the leadership, strength and momentum to win next November."

Tom plans to refund 100% of the contributions made to his campaign. "I’m just so appreciative of their incredible support. I'm a firm believer in both business and politics that you should always leave whomever you come in contact with better off then before they dealt with you." He will personally pay for all the campaign expenses incurred to date so that his contributors will receive a full and complete refund. "I’ve always believed in being frugal, both in government and in campaigns. People expect and deserve a lot of bang for their buck," said Tom. "The bottom line is we must now unite behind Darcy and bring real leadership and representation to this district."

Tom plans to continue his focus in the State Senate on improving education. "I’m ending this campaign, but I will never stop fighting to make education our top priority both at the state and national level. We have to take education to a much higher level if we are going to be competitive in a global, high tech economy."

Here is Darcy's official response:

Senator Tom called me this morning to let me know that he is pulling out of the 8th District congressional race and is formally and enthusiastically endorsing my candidacy. We will be working together in the future to bring real change to the district.

I want to publicly thank and commend Senator Tom for the grace with which he conducted his campaign. He has proven himself to be a strong voice for positive change and a wonderful addition to the Democratic Party. We share so much, including our determination to bring this war to a responsible close. And we both understand that Congressman Reichert’s brand of Bush-style conservatism does not represent the views of the voters in the 8th Congressional District.

I think Senator Tom's decision today is further confirmation that our message of bringing principled leadership and real oversight to Washington, D.C. is resonating across the 8th district.

This war is breaking our military, busting our budget and burning our bridges with the rest of the world, and while the press and the pundits and inside-the-Beltway Bush allies like Congressman Reichert may be fine with staying the course, ordinary Americans are wiser than that...we need strong leaders in the other Washington with the good judgment and the courage to fight to get us out of the Iraq quagmire, and I am committed to providing that leadership.

We applaud Senator Tom for pulling out and demonstrating that his commitment to a Democratic victory in the 8th is more important than his personal ambition. We're thankful for his willingness to be a team player.