From Stark
The race for the open Congressional seat in the 1st District, which includes most of Whatcom County outside Bellingham, is heating up fast.
Earlier this week, Democrat Darcy Burner released poll results showing her with a commanding lead among voters in her party.
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, rival Democrat Suzan DelBene issued a press release saying she has raised more than $122,000 in campaign contributions since she announced her candidacy Jan. 12. The press release suggests that this compares favorably with the slightly larger $127,875 sum that Burner has raised in the two months she has been campaigning.
Fun fact: Both Burner and DelBene are former Microsoft executives.
At this point, I am aware of only two visits to Whatcom County by 1st District Democratic hopefuls: Burner and Laura Ruderman, who is also a former Microsoft executive.
If anyone else slipped across the county line without checking in with the Bellingham Herald politics blog, let me know.
Is it a coincidence that Darcy released her skewed, campaign-sponsored poll on the same day her poor fundraising numbers were released? I think not.
Most of these candidates are over $100,000 but not yet over $200,000 last time i checked.
Is it considered “raising” money if you write yourself a check from your own wealth?
I am much more interested in number of donors : number of people who are supportive enough to commit to sending money. That tells me more than the totals.
Darcy Burner just received the endorsement of the Whatcom County Democracy for America group at our Feb. 1st meeting.
Gentlemen,
In the final analysis this race should be a match-up of Darcy Burner for the Democrats, John Koster for the Republicans against me as an Independent. The reason I say this? Darcy represents the Washington state Democrat party better than anyone, as does Koster for the Republicans. If people are honest with themselves they will see how clear this picture is. Representative Tom Cole once told me that the electorate sees through posers like Del Bene and the rest of the crowd. Any Democrat or Republican that says they will run to the middle is lying to you. Only a true Independent can be honest when they say they are running to stop bitter partisan politics because once a Burner or Koster was elected they would be brought in line by their party’s extremists.