Burner leads Reichert in campaign money

Democratic challenger Darcy Burner continues to raise more money than incumbent Dave Reichert in the race for Washington's 8th Congressional District seat.

Burner raised nearly $585,000 between April 1 and June 30. Reichert received just over $347,000 for the same period, according to filings made by the campaigns to the Federal Election Commission.

The 8th District race in the suburbs east of Seattle is one of the most closely watched in the country.

Burner is challenging Reichert again after coming within 8,000 votes of unseating him in 2006. That year, Burner was an unknown and rode a Democratic wave that unseated Republicans across the nation in the midterm elections.

In all, Burner, a former Microsoft Corp. manager, has raised more than $1.9 million in her bid to defeat Reichert, a two-term incumbent from Auburn. Reichert, a former King County sheriff, has raised $1.7 million.

"Our campaign continues to draw strong support from thousands of donors looking for fresh leadership in Washington, D.C., committed to positive change," Burner said in a statement.

Reichert has around $916,000 of cash on hand, while Burner reports having $1.2 million, the filings show. Burner spent about $100,000 more than Reichert in the second quarter.

"We are pleased with our numbers," said Amanda Halligan, a spokeswoman for Reichert's campaign. "We are doing what we need to do and we are not even in prime giving season."

Burner's campaign reported that it has received more than 4,400 donations from 3,925 contributors.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and House Minority Leader John Boehner attended fundraisers for Reichert in June, Halligan said. She did not disclose how much money those events raised.

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On the Net:

Rep. Dave Reichert, http://reichert.house.gov/

Darcy Burner, http://www.darcyburner.com/