Eight candidates have filed for the short term in the old 1st Congressional District with the addition of five of the candidates for the full term in the new 1st District, but Carin Chase and Lisa Utter won’t join them
Chase, the chairwoman of the 32nd Legislative District Democrats, said Friday that she wouldn’t run for the position because she and her organization are supporting Darcy Burner, a candidate for the full term in the new 1st District, who filed Friday for the short term in the old district.
Former Lynnwood Councilwoman Utter, who had said last week that she would run because no one else seemed to want the short term, was trying to qualify for the ballot by collecting 1,740 signatures instead of paying the $1,470 filing fee. She said Friday that she had collected about two-thirds of the required signatures and was prepared to pay the filing fee before four Democratic candidates for the full term entered the race.
“I felt there were good candidates with substantial resources in the race,” she said “Given the short time we were collecting signatures I was very pleased, and I was prepared to take that support and pay the filing fee. However, with the entrance of Darcy Burner, Laura Ruderman and Suzan DelBene onto the ballot this morning, I feel there are strong candidates for the one-month term with substantial money to campaign in the race. I enjoyed meeting many new people and thank everyone who helped gather signatures or signed petitions.”
State Democratic officials had tried to keep the Democratic candidates for the full term out of the race for the short term.However, Burner, a Democrat, filed early Friday morning, followed by Democrats DelBene and Ruderman in the late morning, fellow Democrat Darshan Rauniyar in the early afternoon and Republican John Koster in mid-afternoon.
The five are among seven candidates — five Democrats, one Republican and one independent running for the full term in the new district
State party officials recruited Snohomish County Councilman Brian Sullivan, who also filed Friday.
Independent Bob Champion of Mukilteo filed earlier in the week for the vacant position, as did Democrats J. Byron Holcomb of Bainbridge Island and Brian Berry of Lake Forest Park.
Democrat Ruth Morrison and Republican Steven J. Gerdes, both of Lynnwood, brought the field to 11 as filing ended Friday
They will run for the last month of Jay Inslee’s term in the old 1st Congressional District.
The position has been vacant since Inslee resigned to run for governor.
Many of the candidates don’t live in the old district but can run as long as they live in the state.
All ballots in South Snohomish County will include the short term in the old 1st District and the full term in whatever new district a voter lives in – the 7th District for Edmonds and Woodway, the 2nd District for Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Brier.
The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 7 primary advance to the Nov. 6 general election regardless of party.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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