DelBene Gets Key Endorsements in 1st District Congressional Run

Medina resident Suzan DelBene, who in 2010 narrowly lost to Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA8), is picking up key endorsements in the newly drawn 1st Congressional District.

Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride, Deputy Mayor Doreen Marchione and City Council Member Dave Asher joined Gov. Chris Gregoire in throwing their support behind DelBene in her campaign for Congress.

DelBene is a former Microsoft vice president who recently stepped down as head of the state Department of Revenue. Others who have announced intentions to run are progressive and two-time House candidate of the Ames Lake area, Bothell businessman , and former state legislator of Kirkland. State Rep. from the race earlier this month.

In 2010, DelBene trailed Reichert significantly in early returns, but later King County returns were in her favor. However, final returns, which include Pierce County voters, showed she got 48 percent of the vote to Reichert's 52 percent.

puts Medina (and DelBene) in the 1st District; Reichert, who lives in Auburn, in a new 8th District that leans in the more rural parts of King County; and Bellevue in the 9th District, currently represented by Congressman Adam Smith of Tacoma.

Districts are official when the new Congress is sworn in, in January 2013.

The 1st Congressional District boundaries were redrawn last year as part of the redistricting process, and it is now a much larger “swing” district extending from the Kirkland area north to the U.S.-Canada border. Medina is in this new district.

McBride was quoted in a press release from the DelBene campaign as saying “I always say one of my priorities as mayor of Kirkland is to do everything I can to make sure our city is ‘open for business.’ So it’s important that we have a member of Congress with the right business experience and who knows how to help us attract investment in our community and spur economic growth. Suzan brings firsthand knowledge of how to create jobs and the right progressive values which reflect the working families in Kirkland.”

DelBene, endorsed last week by Gregoire, according to seattlepi.com, welcomed the endorsements. “They are local leaders who tirelessly work on behalf of their constituents, always focused on building a great community that provides economic prosperity and opportunity,” she said. “In Congress, I look forward to working with them as full partners to get our nation back on track and working again for middle class families.”

The Democratic candidate for the seat will likely face Snohomish County Council Member John Koster, a Republican who has run twice against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen in the 2nd Congressional District.

The position is open because of the resignation from the seat by

—Information from a Suzan DelBene campaign news release, Kirkland Patch and Bellevue Patch archives.

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Correction: This story was revised at 2 p.m. Monday to replace incomplete 2010 election results with accurate totals.