WASHINGTON

The Senate: No Race...


The House:...

• Washington's 2nd congressional district In 2006, incumbent Rick Larsen (D) was reelected with no trouble. However, the district he represents is not reliably Democratic, and he had trouble winning in the past. In addition, former Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart is running as a Republican challenger to Larsen.^[178]

• Washington's 3rd congressional district Incumbent Brian Baird (D) has won reelection by decisive margins since his first election in 1998. However, he recently irked liberals in his party when he said in an editorial for the Seattle Times that the surge strategy in the Iraq War was working.^[179] As a result, he faces a primary challenge from anti-military activist Cheryl Crist^[180] Crist ran against Baird in the 2006 primary, with poor results, but this year, her campaign is attracting attention from opponents of the Iraq War.

• Washington's 8th congressional district: Dave Reichert (R) won a close 51% to 49% re-election bid against Democratic former Microsoft product manager Darcy Burner in 2006. Burner has declared her intention to run against Reichert in 2008. Al Gore and John Kerry narrowly won this suburban Seattle district with 52% in 2000 and 2004, respectively. Burner caught a big break when state Senator Rodney Tom, who announced his candidacy, dropped out of the race and endorsed her.^[181] This race will be a top priority for both parties. Burner has received nationwide attention for her work on the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, and is considered a leader among anti-war Democrats.