Democrat Darcy Burner publicly conceded today to Rep. Dave Reichert after the latest round of ballots showed that he won narrow reelection.
There are at least two explanations for Burner's loss. Some voters likely were turned off by the way she turned almost every public pronouncement into a party-line critique of the Bush Administration's policies. Voters want to trust candidates -- especially in moderate district like Washington's 8th -- so personality trumps well-rehearsed talking points.
Burner was the only Democrat to challenge Reichert, a former sheriff, well before the anti-Republican wave began to swell. But her lack of political experience was Reichert's best asset. Jim Brunner has an account of Burner's press conference today on a Seattle Times blog.