Darcy Burner

Eighth Congressional District of Washington

Burner had been a volunteer in the unsuccessful 2004 campaign of Dave Ross for Washington's 8th congressional district, an open seat, and was a local Democratic activist. In 2006, she became a first-time candidate running for the same seat against freshman Republican U.S. Representative Dave Reichert. She was supported via small dollar donors using the Democratic online fundraising website ActBlue,[5] and both national parties spent heavily on the race.[6]

Between August and October 2006, political commentary indicated growing support for the Democratic candidate,[7][8] and multiple polls showed Burner in a virtual tie with Reichert with just weeks left before the election.[9][10][11] In late October the two major Seattle newspapers split in their endorsements: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer endorsed Burner[12] while the Seattle Times, which had endorsed Democrat Dave Ross in 2004, endorsed Reichert.[13]

Burner conceded at a press conference on November 14, 2006. Dave Reichert's final margin of victory was 7,341, just over 2.9% of the votes.[14]

Burner ran for the 8th district seat again in the 2008 election.

According to FEC reports, Burner outraised Dave Reichert in her campaign.[15][16] One of her issues during the election cycle was an end to the war in Iraq.[17] She wrote A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, which was endorsed by more than 50 candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate as well as Major General Paul Eaton, former Security Transition Commanding General in Iraq; Dr. Lawrence Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration; Capt. Larry Seaquist, former commander of the U.S.S. Iowa and former Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning; and Brigadier General John Johns, specialist in counterinsurgency and nationbuilding. The plan was cited on the floor of the U.S. House.[18] Burner was briefly challenged in the 2008 Democratic primary by State Senator Rodney Tom, who endorsed her in September 2007.[19][20]

Burner's home on Ames Lake, near Carnation, Washington, was completely destroyed by a fire during the 2008 campaign for Congress.[21]

She conceded November 7, 2008 after The Associated Press determined that Reichert's lead for the 8th District seat was insurmountable.[22] When all the ballots were tallied, Reichert had won with 53% of the vote compared to Burner's 47%.

Burner lost in the August primary election for the open seat in Washington's 1st congressional district, being vacated by Jay Inslee.[23]

At the 2012 Netroots Nation conference in early June 2012, Burner was a keynote speaker who asked the women in attendance if they had had an abortion and were willing to let it be known. She is quoted as having said, "If you are a woman in this room who has had an abortion and is willing to come out about it, please stand up."[24] Later she explained, "The people who don’t want them to be able to stand up, who don’t want people to stand with them, are the people who are trying to shame them into silence and it’s long past time we stopped giving into them."[24] She further said during the Keynote "People think they don't know women who've had abortions, when in fact their mothers or their sisters or their co-workers or their friends often have. Women being able to come out of the closet and being able to say 'I've had an abortion' would change people's view of what it meant."[25]

In February 2016, Darcy Burner began running for the Washington House of Representatives, seeking to represent 5th Legislative District. On February 17, she received the endorsement of the 5th Legislative District Democrats.[26] This nomination was also sought by Matt Larson (D), the Mayor of Snoqualmie.[27] In the August, 2016 primary, Burner finished in the top two with Republican Paul Graves,[28] a Seattle attorney whose practice focuses on toxic torts.[29] Graves and Burner moved on to face each other in the November general election. Graves defeated Burner.[30]