Reichert Touts Experience and Independence in 8th District Race

Deborah Wang
10/26/2006

Republican Congressman Dave Reichert is in the fight of his political life. Reichert is a first-term member of Congress from Washington's 8th Congressional District. He is being challenged by Democrat Darcy Burner, who is now neck and neck with Reichert in the polls. The race has the attention of both national parties, which are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars of advertising into the district. Democrats want to make the race a referendum on the Bush Adminstration. Republicans want the focus to be on the two candidates themselves. In part 2 of our series on the 8th district, KUOW's Deborah Wang has this profile of the Reichert campaign.

TEBELLIUS: "Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in giving the warmest welcome to our Congressman, Dave Reichert!"

WITH THAT INTRODUCTION, 55 YEAR OLD DAVE REICHERT STEPS BEFORE THE MICROPHONE AT A RECENT CAMPAIGN RALLY IN BELLEVUE. HE STARTS BY SAYING THANK YOU TO ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE WORKING SO HARD ON HIS BEHALF. AND HE ENCOURAGES THEM, IN FACT PLEADS WITH THEM, TO DO EVEN MORE.

REICHERT: "This is tough. You know that in this district we have a tough race, I have a tough race, and we need you. We need your help, we need your passion, we need your energy, we need your money."

REICHERT IS FACING A STRONG CHALLENGE FROM DEMOCRAT DARCY BURNER, A 35 YEAR OLD FORMER MICROSOFT MANAGER. BURNER’S STRATEGY IS TO LINK REICHERT TO THE UNPOPULAR BUSH ADMINISTRATION. SHE HAS REPEATEDLY SLAMMED REICHERT AS A 'BUSH REPUBLICAN.' SHE SAYS HE VOTES WITH THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP CLOSE TO 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME.

REICHERT SAYS THE CHARACTERIZATION IS UNFAIR. HE SAYS HE’S AN INDEPENDENT WHO HAS BROKEN WITH THE REPUBLICANS ON A NUMBER OF HIGH PROFILE ISSUES. THE PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL JOURNAL RANKS HIM AS A CENTRIST.

REICHERT: "I am not surprised that the strategy is to tie me to Bush however I think there has to be honesty about the votes I have taken and the stands that I have taken on issues. But in this case that’s why it has to be a personal race between myself and my opponent."

REICHERT NOTES THAT IN HIS FIRST TWO MONTHS IN OFFICE, HE VOTED AGAINST REPUBLICAN EFFORTS TO INTERVENE IN THE TERRY SHIAVO RIGHT TO DIE CASE. AFTER INITIALLY OPPOSING STEM CELL RESEARCH, HE THEN SIDED WITH DEMOCRATS IN VOTING FOR FEDERAL FUNDING. AND HE REPEATEDLY VOTED AGAINST REPUBLICAN EFFORTS TO OPEN UP DRILLING IN THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE…MOVES THAT WERE APPALUDED BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS.

REICHERT SAYS HE LOCKED HORNS WITH SENIOR REPUBLICANS ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION.

REICHERT: "I've been a cop for 33 years, AND I’ve faced people pointing guns at me, I've had to talk a guy out of shooting me, he had a shotgun stuck in my gut and for 40 minutes, I sat and talked him out of pulling the trigger. So when you sit on the floor of the house and you talk to somebody who gets upset about an issue, I can pretty much talk through that stuff and work it out they are not going to pull a gun on me, at least I hope not…laugh…on the floor of the house."

BURNER SAYS REICHERT'S 'INDEPENDENCE' IS POLITICALLY CALCULATED. PRESIDENT BUSH AND KARL ROVE HAVE BOTH COME TO THE DISTRICT TO RAISE MONEY FOR REICHERT'S CAMPAIGN. BURNER SAYS THAT MAKES IT CLEAR TO VOTERS WHERE REICHERT STANDS.

WITH THE RACE NOW A DEAD HEAT, REICHERT IS TRYING TO SHIFT THE FOCUS OF THE CAMPAIGN ON TO HIS OPPONENT.

TV AD: "Burner wants the job, but has no experience, no public service. Calling for taxes we can't afford."

HIS ADS POINT TO BURNER'S LACK OF POLITICAL EXPERIENCE AND COMMUNITY SERVICE. THIS IS BURNER'S FIRST RUN AT POLITICAL OFFICE.

DURING A DEBATE, THE TWO CANDIDATES WERE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO ASK EACH OTHER A QUESTION.

REICHERT: "Simple question, what have you done for your community..."

BURNER: "I've been involved in my community for a long time. My values as a mother and a businesswoman mean I have been working to create jobs in this community. I for more than a decade have volunteered at the local YMCA as a youth sports coach because I wanted to make sure that kids have a real chance..."

REICHERT: "And if you just want to talk about qualifications, she shouldn't even be running for Congress. I met an 18 year old young woman on Mercer Island a few weeks ago, who is a Rotarian of the month for her high school, and who has a much longer list of community service accomplishments than my opponent does."

REICHERT SEIZES EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND HIS AUDIENCES OF HIS LONG HISTORY OF PUBLIC SERVICE. HE WAS A POLICE OFFICER FOR 33 YEARS, AND HAD A CELEBRATED CAREER AS KING COUNTY SHERIFF. IN 2001, HE HELPED CATCH THE NOTORIOUS GREEN RIVER KILLER.

DAVID POSTMAN IS THE CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR THE SEATTLE TIMES.

POSTMAN: "I would say he's far from an icon but that is clearly what he wants to be he wants to be the sheriff he wants people to elect him it seems much more because of his time in the sheriff's office as opposed to his two years in Congress."

REICHERT: "How's it going how are you? Nice to see you…."

AT A RECENT CAMPAIGN RALLY, REICHERT WADED INTO THE AUDIENCE AND SHOOK HANDS WITH SUPPORTERS. AN OLDER WOMAN ASKS IF HE’LL BE MAKING AN APPEARANCE AT A REPUBLICAN WOMEN'S EVENT.

REICHERT: "I never know where I am going they just tell me what to do!"

SOME IN THIS CROWD STILL REFER TO REICHERT AS THE SHERIFF. NANCY, WHO DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE HER LAST NAME, SAYS SHE'S IMPRESSED BY HIS EXPERIENCE.

SUPPORTER: "I think he’s a competent person, a public servant for 35 years, and a very capable of protecting us in these times we're in now."

AND WITH SCALES TIPPING AGAINST THE REPUBLICANS NATIONALLY, LOCAL CANDIDATES HAVE TO DEFINE THEMSELVES EVEN MORE CLEARLY. DIANE TEBELLIUS IS THE CHAIR OF THE STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

TEBELLIUS: "The politics now in this environment have created a difficult time for republicans I'll be honest about that, but what has got to happen but people are gonna look to see who is the person they are going to look in their own districts they're gonna say who is the man or woman who is running for congress and in the end I believe in the wisdom of voters and they do make good decisions and will see the huge difference."

IT PROBABLY DOESN'T HURT THAT THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN PARTY IS COMING TO REICHERT'S AID. HIS RACE IS ONE OF MORE THAN A DOZEN THE PARTY IS NOW SUPPORTING WITH DIRECT MAILING AND TV ADS. MOST OF THE MAILINGS ACCUSE BURNER OF WANTING TO RAISE TAXES ON WORKING FAMILIES. THAT IS BASED ON A SINGLE STATEMENT SHE MADE ON A RADIO INTERVIEW THAT THE REPUBLICAN TAX CREDITS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

REICHERT SAYS HE'S NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN PARTY IS DOING. BUT HE SAYS WHEN HE'S SEE THE ADS POP UP, HE'S APPRECIATIVE.

I'M DEBORAH WANG, KUOW NEWS.

℗ Copyright 2006, KUOW News