• McManus for Congress
• Dick McManus did not raise enough "contrabutions" to pay the filing to fee to get on the "ballet" in WA-02.

Democratic US Representative Rick Larsen just dodged a bullet in WA-02, where Democratic challenger Dick McManus has apparently announced that he is dropping out of the race... or the dance... or something. You read the exact wording of his statement for yourself and see if you can figure it out:

Because I have not raised $1,740 in campaign contrabutions, my name and issues will not be on the ballet.

It's hard to imagine how the McManus campaign was so shockingly derailed, but I can only presume that failing to raise enough money to pay the filing fee might have something to do with it. Also, spelling.

Snohomish County Council Chair Brian Sullivan announced over the weekend that he will run in the special election to fill out the remaining month or so of Rep. Jay Inslee's term in the old 1st Congressional District, suggesting that there might be a deal in the works to avoid a weird battle between the Dems in the crowded field for the new post-redistricting WA-01.

"The people in the old 1st District need to be represented when Congress takes up key issues after the election and I am stepping up to serve them," Sullivan said in statement released by the Washington State Democratic Party.

Sullivan's candidacy comes with the blessing of state Dem chair Dwight Pelz, who has been working to avoid a potentially confusing situation in which the Democratic candidates appear twice on ballots in precincts where the old and the new 1st CD overlap. It's very possible under those circumstances that a different Dem makes it through the top-two primary in each race. What voters would make of this in November is hard to say, but you can't blame party officials for feeling uncomfortable about the uncertainty.

None of the Democratic candidates are running to serve for a mere month, but the special election—which became necessary after Inslee resigned to focus on his gubernatorial campaign—does bring with it a bonus: the ability to double up on contribution limits within the same campaign cycle. Money raised in the old 1st CD race should theoretically be spent only in that race, but since much of the district both overlaps and shares the same media market, those restrictions are pretty much meaningless.

Republican John Koster, essentially running unopposed, is free to run in both and seize this windfall. Whether all of his Democratic opponents are prepared to cede this fundraising advantage to Koster for the sake of avoiding the potential voter confusion that comes with it we'll soon know: the filing deadline is the end of this week.

Rob McKenna's "Go get a job!" snipe is going to haunt him throughout the rest of this campaign. As it should.

US Senator Dick Lugar (R-Indiana) has been defeated by Tea Party challenger Richard Mourdock, unceremoniously ending Lugar's 36-year Senate career.

As much as I hate to see a Tea Party victory, this can't help but put in play for the Democrats what would have otherwise been a safe Republican seat. So yay!

Last week House Majority Leader Eric Cantor flew all the way out to Washington state to raise money for Rep. Dave Reichert in WA-08, who, thanks to redistricting, is currently enjoying the first easy race of his political career. Yet Cantor totally ignored Republican John Koster in WA-01, smack dab in the middle of the only truly competitive congressional race in the state.

Later this month House Speaker John Boehner will fly out for a $1,000 a plate fundraiser for Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in WA-03, also, thanks to redistricting, in what appears to be an awfully easy race. And again, there are no plans for Boehner either to campaign for Koster, the one Republican congressional candidate in the state who really needs the help.

What explains the snub? No doubt the House Republican leadership will be happy to have his vote should he win election, but let's be clear: Koster is fucking extreme, even for a party dedicated to privatizing Social Security and ending Medicare. Possibly even too extreme for his party to risk any of his avowed craziness to rub off on it.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was in town for a breakfast fundraiser at the Bellevue Westin this morning. Not that that's really news. Cantor does a lot of fundraisers for congressional incumbents and candidates. It's what he does.

No, what really makes this particular trip so interesting is that Cantor flew all the way out here to raise money for Rep. Dave Reichert—who is in the race of his life only in the sense that this is the first race of his life not to be much of a race (thank you, redistricting!)—not for John Koster, Washington's only Republican congressional candidate in a remotely competitive contest.

Why? Because John Koster is too extreme even for Eric Cantor! And that's saying something.

A Cantor-allied group has been spending money against Republicans Cantor thinks are too extreme, for example some who advocate eliminating the Department of Education. You know, just like Koster. So it would be a little odd for Cantor to spend money in one state against extremists he fears are undermining his party's credibility, while raising money for them in another.

You'd think if Cantor was enthusiastic about Koster's candidacy he'd have held a fundraiser for him too. But he didn't. And that tells you everything you need to know about how mindfuckingly extreme Koster really is.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I like Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). Sure, he can be a little, um, eccentric, and I'm not entirely convinced that he's always in it for the right reasons. And yeah, he's maybe not the most effective congressman out there. But on issue after issue he offers an unabashedly liberal voice, absolutely unconcerned with the personal political consequences.

No, I wouldn't want a congress filled with Kucinichs, but at least a few of them are necessary to help balance his many counterparts on the right. That's why after being redistricted out of his safe Cleveland seat, I for one welcome Kucinich to run in Washington. You know, as long as he runs for a seat Democrats don't see much chance of winning.

"It is clear that Cleveland and Washington State agree on one thing: we just don't want Dennis Kucinich," state Democratic Party chair Dwight Pelz said in a statement earlier this week. Yeah, well, maybe. Before the redistricting maps were complete Kucinich was considering a run for an open seat in either the 1st or the 10th, districts that I know Pelz and I agree Kucinich wouldn't stand a snowball's chance of winning. Voters don't take kindly to carpetbaggers 'round these parts, and so I'd be surprised to see Kucinich even make it through our top-two primary in either of those districts, or in Representative Norm Dicks' recently vacated 6th.

Defeated in a primary for an open seat. It would be a shame to see Kucinich end his career embarrassing himself like that.

But there would be nothing embarrassing about taking one for the team, forcing a Republican incumbent like Dave Reichert or Jaime Herrera Beutler to actually fight for their jobs in WA-08 or WA-03. These are races apparently without credible Democratic challengers. Kucinich could change that.

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The first quarter 2012 financial reports are in, and the 1st Congressional District fundraising race is shaping up largely as expected:

Suzan DelBene had a strong first quarter in the race, tapping in to her rich network of rich people. A full $160K of her $342K came in "double-max" donations ($2,500 for each the primary and the general, $5,000 combined), many of them from people named Balmer, Gates and the like. That means $80,000 of the money she raised can't be spent in the primary. DelBene also records $250K in debt—a personal loan—a number that helps explain her oversized cash on hand advantage despite $121K in expenditures.

Coming in second in the money race last quarter was Darcy Burner, who has taken a more grassroots approach to her fundraising. According to her campaign, Burner has now received contributions from 5,062 supporters, far more than any other candidate in this race, at an average of less than $60 per individual contributor. That includes $30,000 from 1,200 supporters through an online drive on the last day of the quarter alone. This suggests that Burner should have no trouble attracting volunteers during the crucial final weeks of the campaign.

Coming in third was Laura Ruderman, with $103K raised, which she recently touted as her best quarter yet. Ruderman has a healthy $220,000 cash on hand, but she better pick up the fundraising pace if she hopes to stay dollar competitive with DelBene and Burner.

State Senator Steve Hobbs and political newcomer Darshan Rauniyar bring up the rear of the Democratic field, raising $74K and $30K respectively. Hobbs has a string of endorsements from fellow state legislators, but doesn't have a history of raising big money. As for Rauniyar, his early fundraising success appears to be petering out as reality sets in among prospective donors.

And finally John Koster, the putative Republican nominee, raised only $88K in the quarter. Sure, he can count on millions of PAC dollars to be ultimately spent on his behalf, but his anemic fundraising doesn't say much about his work ethic or his grassroots support.

Governor Chris Gregoire announced today that she has endorsed Suzan DelBene in the hotly contested race to replace Jay Inslee in the 1st Congressional District. “Getting people back to work is the most critical issue facing our country and we need more experienced leaders in Congress who know how to create jobs. Suzan is that person,” said Gregoire in a press release.

It's no surprise that DelBene is the choice of the Democratic establishment. Her centrist views and demeanor make her a safe choice in a swing district, and her personal fortune and willingness to self-fund make her very attractive to Democratic strategists. But I am a little surprised that a sitting governor would jump in so early to pick a favorite out a field of qualified Democrats. Makes me wonder if the establishment types are getting a little jumpy?

That said, DelBene was also Gregoire's Department of Revenue director, so maybe the governor is just rewarding loyalty with loyalty.

State Representative Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland) announced today that he was dropping his bid for the open seat in Washington's 1st Congressional District, and would instead run for reelection to the legislature.

"Having campaigned hard in this huge, new 'swing' congressional district, and working under the brutally relentless pressure to raise the startling amount of money now needed for congressional campaigns, I have decided to continue representing my constituents in the State Legislature," Goodman wrote in a prepared statement.

Neither the announcement nor the timing came as much of a surprise. Goodman had worked the district hard, but was having trouble keeping pace in the Democratic fundraising race dominated by Suzan DelBene, Laura Ruderman, and Darcy Burner. He was also the only 1st CD candidate out of eight who would have had to give up an elected office in order to continue to run.

As for the rest of the field, it's hard to argue that Goodman's exit doesn't favor Burner. Both Goodman and Burner have run aggressively liberal campaigns, potentially splitting that segment of the Democratic base, with Roadkill Senator Steve Hobbs staking out a more conservative position, and DelBene and Ruderman jostling near the center. With Goodman out, Burner will find it easier to differentiate herself from the rest of the field.