Reichert faces tough November rematch with Burner

Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) easily qualified to be one of the two candidates on the ballot this fall after Tuesday's 8th district primary, but he didn’t escape trouble on the horizon, as Democratic challenger Darcy Burner fell just behind him.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Reichert finished with 48 percent of the vote, while Burner, the 2006 Democratic nominee, received 45 percent. Washington state’s primaries are open to candidates of all parties, with the top two vote-getters going head-to-head in the general election.

{mosads}The results could be seen as a concern for Reichert, a two-term incumbent, who is not only under 50 percent but trailed the combined Democratic votes for Burner and two minor candidates.

“This is a significant defeat for Burner, who made it clear that she needed to outpoll Reichert in the primary to keep her national fundraising base engaged and spent over half a million dollars in the loss,” said a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) release Wednesday morning.

“We were very pleased with the results last night, particularly that Congressman Reichert was held under 50 percent,” said Burner campaign spokesman Sandeep Kaushik. He added that Burner did not maximize turnout in some strongholds, which are likely to show greater support for Barack Obama this fall.

The NRCC sought to undercut Burner for not outpolling Reichert, despite the Burner campaign's receiving heavy assistance from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). The district is part of the Democrats' Red-to-Blue program.

“The DCCC must be reconsidering the $1 million television buy they placed for Burner and looking at other, more viable races,” the NRCC’s release said.

Democrats in Washington countered by pointing out that since 1980, only 10 Republicans have finished under 50 percent in a Washington primary, and seven of them went on to lose the general election.

Reichert topped Burner 51-49 in a close reelection bid in 2006, but Burner has emerged again as a formidable challenger with fundraising prowess. Burner reported $1.5 million cash on hand at the end of July to Reichert’s $930,000 at the end of the same period. Additionally, Burner raised just under $400,000 between July 1 and Tuesday's primary, while Reichert raised just under $140,000.

“There’s no question that we have a significant resource advantage in the general election campaign, and that is going to have an impact,” Kaushik said.