WA-8: Dunn running again, draws Demo challenger

[goobergunch]

By DAVID AMMONS
AP POLITICAL WRITER

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Rep. Jennifer Dunn, dean of the state's Republican delegation in Congress and chairwoman of President Bush's Washington state re-election campaign, will seek a seventh term and has drawn a Democratic challenger.

"She is running. She is running, no question," spokeswoman Danielle Holland said Monday.

Alex Alben, retired at 45 after making his fortune in the high-tech business world, jumped into the race Monday. The Mercer Island attorney declared Dunn vulnerable and a poor fit for the Information Age, high-tech-dependent 8th District.

"He's a five-star candidate," enthused state Democratic Chairman Paul Berendt. "We think we've got a real shot at this. We're going to pull out all the stops."

more...http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=WA%20Dunn%20Challenger

Washington DUers, do we have a shot at this race?

[Andy_Stephenson]

1. Not in the face of Diebold

voting machines.

[jiacinto]

2. This is a Republican leaning seat anyway

Republicans do win elections. Sometimes the voters do pick Republicans in elections as hard as it is for you to believe. So when Bush wins Utah are you going to say that the the "election was stolen"?

[ButterflyBlood]

3. it's not a Republican leaning seat

Gore won it in 2000. Dunn only holds on because she has the incumbancy advantage.

[Ediacara]

4. yep

If Dunn was not the incumbant, the dems would probably win this state.

1) Gore won the district in 2000 and I bet (though I am not certain) Clinton won there in 1996.

2) Dunn is seen as a moderate Republican by the local press (even though she isn't really moderate). If she was seen as say, Trent Lott, the mostly moderate district, and even some Republicans would vote to send her packing.

The district has been getting younger and higher tech over the last Decade, and I don't think that Dunn fits well in it. I wish she would run for something else like Governor (and lose) so we could take this seat.

Ya see, I grew up in WA-8 and really hate Jennifer Dunn :-)

[mndemocrat_29]

6. It is the only left-leaning seat in Washington that we don't have

We need seats like this in order to win back the House. Defeating Jennifer Dunn would be a major victory for Democrats, since her defeat would basically guarantee a sweep.

[SEAburb]

5. This is insulting to Heidi! Rich elitist five-star candidate

What the hell is Heidi, the middle-class real world candidate, one-star.