The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced its first round of "Red to Blue" candidates today, and two closely contested Washington congressional districts are in it. The Red to Blue designation comes with an implied promise of money and fundraising support, although the DCCC's commitment can waver as the race unwinds.

In Washington's new 10th CD—better known as the "Denny Heck District"—the DCCC has surprisingly anointed Denny Heck as their as their candidate of choice. The DCCC has also designated the hotly contested 1st CD as a "Red to Blue District," without naming a preferred candidate from the six-person Democratic field.

But that didn't stop Suzan DelBene spokesman Sandeep Kaushik from penning a press release that boldly proclaims the Red to Blue label as some sort of affirmation of his candidate:

Following Suzan Delbene’s entry into the crowded field, national Democrats signal that they intend to make victory in this open seat swing district a priority.

Uh-huh. Perhaps Kaushik thinks his readers are stupid. Though if he does, he comes by it honestly, having previously written for The Stranger.

It's true that the Red to Blue designation did follow DelBene's entry into the race, in the sense that, chronologically, the designation came after. And the DCCC sure does love self-funders. But I'd be willing to bet my dog that the DCCC doesn't officially take sides in the primary, and that whoever makes it through to the November ballot gets gobs of DCCC money along the way. And I love my dog, so I don't take this bet lightly.

This was always going to be a Red to Blue race (despite the fact that, technically, it's really Blue to Blue), and thus it's no surprise that when the initial list was announced today, WA-01 was on it. It'll be a very interesting primary.