WA-08

The Washington, D.C. based Congressional Quarterly came out with a ranking of the top ten congressional challengers in America based on the amount of cash they had on hand at the end of the second fundraising quarter.

8th Congressional District Democrat Darcy Burner sits near the top of their list, coming in third overall and second among Democrats with $1.2 million on hand. Her opponent, Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn), had just over $900,000 in the bank at the last filing period.

Read CQ's take on the Burner-Reichert race, which they say has "no clear favorite", below.

Yet another national congressional ranking site has acknowledged the competitive nature of Washington's 8th District race between Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn) and challenger Darcy Burner (D-Carnation). This time it is the left-leaning Swing State Project, who just yesterday moved the race from its "Lean R" category to a "Tossup", one of twelve in the country in that category.

Read their analysis below, which cites Burner's fundraising advantage and Obama's relative strength in Washington.

After early reports showed a gaping hole in the 8th Congressional District television markets, new numbers show that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has reserved nearly a million dollars on Seattle television stations for this year's election.

According to the Washington Post, the DCCC will spend $949,000 on ads will support Darcy Burner (D-Carnation) in her second bid to unseat Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn). Given the size of the market, that means voters are likely to see the ads just over twice a week when they air.

The Washington Education Association, normally a firm backer of Democratic politicians, has broken with its normal trajectory and endorsed Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn) in his re-election race against Carnation Democrat Darcy Burner, according to the TNT.

"Washington educators appreciate Rep. Reichert's support for public schools, students and education employees. He understands the need to invest in quality public education," WEA President Mary Lindquist said in a press release.

Losing a home to fire takes a toll on nearly every aspect of one's life. When a high profile campaign for the U.S. House is part of that life, the price gets distributed on to thousands more people, whether they are active campaign volunteers, or merely constituents who passively miss out on normal campaigning. Such was the case last week when 8th District Democrat Darcy Burner lost her home to fire.

Fortunately for Burner many of her constituents, along with well-wishers across the country, have banded together to help ease the campaign burdens she will undoubtedly face in the coming weeks as she and her family move forward with their post-fire lives. The campaigns financial burdens, at least.

Spurred on by calls from bloggers across the country, Burner has raised over $110,000 from more than 2,000 contributors on the fundraising site ActBlue since last Tuesday's fire.

Darcy Burner, Democratic candidate for U.S House in the 8th Congressional District, made it official Wednesday that she would stay in the race despite the fire that destroyed her King County home Tuesday morning.

Her announcement is below, along with a statement from her opponent, Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn).

Darcy Burner, the Democratic candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in the 8th Congressional District, has released a statement on the fire that destroyed her Carnation home this morning.

"As many of you may be aware, early this morning my home was destroyed by a fire. It appears to have been caused by a faulty lamp in my son's room. Unfortunately, our home and all of the possessions in it are a total loss, but I am so grateful that my family and I escaped safely. We may have lost our home and our possessions, but for the most part they can be replaced, and I feel like a true tragedy was narrowly avoided today. Please rest assured that while we have been a bit shaken by what happened, Mike, Henry and I are all okay."

Read the rest of Burner's statement after the jump.

Darcy BurnerThe Seattle Times is reporting that 8th District Democrat Darcy Burner's Carnation home was severely damaged by fire this morning.

Burner, her husband Mike, son Henry and their dog were not injured in the blaze.

U.S. News and World Reports confirmed last Friday that former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the failed 2008 Republican presidential candidate, will be hosting a fundraiser for Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn) in New York. Reichert was an early supporter of Giuliani.

Details have not yet been released, and there is still no word yet on Rudy's asking price for the event, though rumors suggest Hizzoner will be collecting the cash free of charge. A call to Giuliani's office has not yet been returned.

The P-I has a brief profile on little known and late starting candidate Richard Todd (I-Snoqualmie), who is running as an independent for U.S. House in the 8th District against Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn).

Todd is a former engineer and commercial fisherman who wrote a book, Saga of the Polar Star, about his salty journeys that came from a fascination he developed with the commercial crab industray after he moved to Washington in the early 1960s.

See PolitickerWA.com's profile of fellow 8th District challenger Darcy Burner from April here.