By Shaun Moore
Washington’s 8th District remains one of a little more than a handful of House seats still up in the air, following Tuesday’s election. Incumbent (R) Dave Reichert still holds a slim lead on Democratic newcomer Darcy Burner with more than 60 percent of the ballots counted. As the ballot counting continues, Burner is beginning to look into the feasibility of a recount.
The most recent numbers show that Reichert holds a small, 2-percent, lead in the race. In order for an automatic recount to occur, Burner would need to make up a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Washington law allows for a recount if the margin is within a half a percentage point and 2,000 votes of each other. That looks like a tall task for Burner.
Nevertheless, her campaign is reviewing their options. One of those options is to pay for a full scale recount in the district. That might run as high a $100,000 and drag the race into December.
Burner performed well in a district that has leaned Republican for the last twenty some-odd years. The fact that someone with no political experience was able to mount a formidable challenge to a well-known figure, such as Reichert, with a home field advantage proves that the district can be had by the Democrats. It just may not be this year.
If the margin continues to stay above the half-percent range, Burner should begin explore how to raise more funds. Only those funds should be ear-marked for the 2008 election.
Shaun Moore blogs at The Daily Spectator.
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