Ross, Reichert beat lesser-knowns in race for open U.S. House seat

By Warren Cornwall
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES 8th District Congressional District Republican candidate Dave Reichert, right, chats with King County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng before heading downstairs to address his supporters.

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Democrat Dave Ross and Republican Dave Reichert, two congressional candidates who hadn't even declared which political party they belonged to a year ago, handily beat a crowd of lesser-known rivals to win their 8th Congressional District primaries.

Both faced scrappy opponents with stronger party credentials. But political attacks failed to overcome the broad name recognition and good will the two frontrunners amassed from years of media exposure.

On the Republican side, Reichert, the King County sheriff, declared victory last night over former federal prosecutor Diane Tebelius, state Sen. Luke Esser and Bellevue City Councilman Conrad Lee. All three of his opponents conceded defeat.

"I think that people are looking for the nontraditional candidate, somebody that they see as a straight talker and somebody who says, 'I'm going to get the job done,' and they get the job done," Reichert said.

On the Democratic side, radio talk-show host Ross continued to hold a strong lead as results trickled in, outpacing Bellevue interior designer Heidi Behrens-Benedict and retired high-tech businessman Alex Alben.

Ross held off on declaring victory late yesterday, and both his opponents took a wait-and-see attitude. Ross credited hard-working volunteers and the appeal of his message, in addition to the fame he brought to the race.

"I'm sure name recognition is a factor, but I can assure you that we didn't try to coast on that," he said.

The 8th District race has been crowded and heated, as U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn relinquished her 12-year hold on the seat. The race has gained national attention as one of a few congressional seats that either party could win this fall.

Republicans badly want to hold on to a district they have controlled since it was created in the early 1980s — the only Western Washington congressional seat now in GOP hands. Democrats hope a win in the once-solidly Republican district will strengthen their presence in the coveted suburbs ringing Seattle.

Both national parties are expected to pour money into the November race in a district that includes much of East and South King County and East Pierce County. Dunn last night issued an endorsement of Reichert.

On the Republican side, Reichert was seen by many as the early favorite.

He had wide recognition for his work helping to catch Green River serial killer Gary L. Ridgway, a stellar law-enforcement career, and rugged good looks. His campaign quickly laid claim to national security as its central theme, touting Reichert's credentials as the county's top cop.

But his campaign in recent weeks encountered several road bumps. Targeted in critical ads by Tebelius and Esser, Reichert walked out of a debate and vowed not to appear with the two again.

The move won praise from some, but others wondered if it showed Reichert couldn't take the heat of a campaign.

Tebelius, a Republican national committeewoman and party activist, proved to be a talented fund-raiser and a fierce campaigner.

But she had to overcome near anonymity outside the ranks of the Republican faithful. She sought to close the gap with Reichert partly with ads targeting the sheriff. She cast him as a latecomer to the Republican Party and someone with close ties to Democrats in the past.

Tebelius campaign manager Dan Brady last night acknowledged that couldn't overcome Reichert's popularity.

"He has a tremendous amount of good will on top of name ID. That good will translated into comfort for a lot of voters," Brady said.

Esser, a state senator from Bellevue, touted himself as the "proven conservative" with a knowledge of legislative matters honed in Olympia.

Lee, the last Republican to enter the race, painted himself as an immigrant success story. As a businessman, he amassed more than a million dollars in real-estate investments, and was appointed head of the region's U.S. Small Business Administration in 2002. He trailed well behind the other candidates.

On the Democratic side, it was celebrity versus money versus longevity.

Early on, three-time Dunn challenger Behrens-Benedict faced Alben, a former RealNetworks executive and multimillionaire.

Declared the front-runner by many early in the race, Alben last night was at risk of finishing third despite putting $300,000 of his own money into the race and outspending Ross by roughly 3-to-1.

The race turned topsy-turvy in May with the entry of Ross, a popular radio personality. He was recruited by state Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt, who was concerned about countering Reichert's Republican star power.

Ross became the man to beat the day he entered the race, based on his widespread recognition. But his late entry forced him to rush to establish a campaign. He also continued his show until late July, a move criticized as an unfair advantage.

In the end, Ross' campaign theme of "common sense to find common ground" echoed his show's mantra.

Warren Cornwall: 206-464-2311 or wcornwall@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times reporter J. Patrick Coolican contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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