Kilmer's field-clearing now in context with huge 1stQ haul.
Monday, April 9, 2012 | 12:57 p.m.
Kilmer, the only Dem in the race, raised over $359K in the 1stQ. WA GOP chair Kirby Wilbur: "I think Derek has a reputation as a great campaigner ... able to raise a lot of money, and I suspect that intimidated a lot of people. I just think he eclipsed everybody."
Dicks CoS George Behan: "The assumption was that there would be a lot of candidates, sort of known Democrats, who would be running against each other." Retiring Rep. Norm Dicks (D) "decided to make an endorsement when he saw that no more serious candidates were likely to run," according to Behan.
"It's a stark contrast to the race in the 1st Congressional District, another newly redrawn district with an open seat, where six Democrats are facing off in a competitive primary." The day of Dicks's retirement announcement, Kilmer "had dinner that night with his wife to discuss the race and launched a campaign a few days later. He said it was 'a bummer' that Dicks decided not to run but said he also doesn't want to leave a 'dysfunctional federal government' to his daughters."
Many other Dems considered running, but "bowed out" a week or two later. Kitsap Co. Commis. Josh Brown (D): "I think one of the factors, to be quite candid, ... is the money it takes to run a campaign" (Heffter, Seattle Times, 4/7).
Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Connelly
Kilmer's 1stQ haul is "not bad for a candidate who entered the race a few days after Dicks announced March 2 that he would retire" (Shannon, Olympian, 4/6).
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