Primary Election Date: 08/07/2012
General Election Date: 11/06/2012

Who Am I?

About Darcy Burner:

I expect you want to know a little bit about me and what makes me tick before deciding if you’re going to support me. So here’s a little of my life story:

I grew up in family of pretty modest means. My dad enlisted in the US Air Force right out of high school and served through the Vietnam era. He and my mom married young, and she stayed home to raise the family. And a big family it was! I was the third of five kids, adopted because my parents wanted a girl after two boys. (I don’t think they were counting on my innate love for Tonka trucks and electronics. But my sister Tammy, two years younger than me, fulfilled my mom’s desire for ribbons and bows.)

While my family moved around a bunch when I was a kid, Washington State was an anchor for us. My dad’s family lives in Rochester (just south of Olympia), and we came here every summer of my childhood. I grew up loving the trees and the mountains, hiking at Mount Rainier with my brothers and splashing in the creek on my uncle Dave’s farm in Rochester.

When my dad retired from the Air Force after twenty years, my parents moved to Nebraska to be near my mom’s family, and I graduated from Fremont High School in Fremont, Nebraska. (Trivia point #1: Fremont, Nebraska was named after the first Republican candidate for President, John C. Fremont. He didn’t win. But the second Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, did. Trivia point #2: the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle is named for Fremont, Nebraska. And the adjoining Wallingford neighborhood is named for my husband Mike’s hometown, Wallingford, Connecticut. The world is full of funny coincidences.)

After graduation I went to Harvard where I got a B.A. degree in computer science with a special field of economics – a college tenure punctuated by a couple of years off to earn money and the accumulation of significant student loan debt. During and after college I worked in the software industry as a trainer, programmer, in technical sales, and ultimately as a group program manager at Microsoft.

In 2003, though, there were two things that happened in quick succession which changed my view on how I should be spending my time. The first was a good one: my husband Mike and I had our son, Henry. But when Henry was about three months old, my brother Jason marched into Iraq with the initial invading force. I have a very vivid memory of packing a care package for Jay while holding Henry in my other arm and realizing that there was no set of choices I could make to give my son the kind of life I wanted him to have if we didn’t change the direction of the country.

Building on my increasing political engagement in 2004 and 2005, in 2006 I challenged Republican Congressman Dave Reichert for his seat. I reasoned that only a Congress focused on progressive priorities could get things back on track. The campaign team, including thousands of volunteers and small donors, did an amazing job and we came close enough that we didn’t know for a week who had won.

I ran again in 2008, and took the opportunity to work with other candidates, national security experts, and retired generals to writeThe Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, endorsed by more than sixty candidates for the U.S. House and Senate, which laid bare both why and how we needed to end the war. (I’m happy the rest of our troops will finally be returning home at the end of 2011.)Unfortunately, once again we came close enough not to know the results on election night, but the 8thCongressional district held fast to its perfect record of electing Republicans.

At the end of my 2008 campaign I promised I’d never give up fighting for progressive policies, and in 2009, I continued to fulfill that promise by became the first President and Executive Director of ProgressiveCongress.org, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. that works with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on public health, civil rights, education, environmental sustainability and economic opportunity.

I’ve been a guest featured on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, the Ed Show, C-SPAN, ABC, NPR, Pacifica Radio, and a host of local programs, and featured inRoll Call, Politico, The Hill, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Huffington Post, DailyKos.com, The Nation, Mother Jones, and as a keynote speaker at Netroots Nation alongside Bill Clinton and Howard Dean. I’ve blogged atOpenLeft.com, DailyKos, Crooks & Liars, and Huffington Post.

I’ve been honored to be a board member of Council for a Livable World’s PeacePAC, the SNAP PAC (Students for a New American Politics) Advisory Board, the Progressive Ideas Network Advisory Board, the Center for International Policy board, the ActBlue board, the NARAL Pro-Choice America board, and to serve as the chair of the Netroots Foundation board.I’m also a member of the Afghanistan Study Group.

I live on the Eastside with my husband Mike, our son Henry, and our dog Bruce.

Why Am I Running?

I’m looking forward to digging in to fix what’s broken in DC so that Congress again serves the people of the United States. While too many of the typical politicians we’ve sent haven’t been able to get the job done – they’ve been stymied by rigged rules and have given up far too easily on tough key battles – I’m not a typical candidate. An engineer by training & a politician by necessity, I’m ready to pull apart what’s broken and rebuild it so that it works for all of us – not just Wall Street. And I’ve shown that I don’t give up when the going gets tough. (Or, really, ever.)

I’m ready for this fight and I’d be honored to be shoulder-to-shoulder with you while we get this done.

Hold Me Accountable!

No one is above the law – not even the rich and powerful.

Every member of Congress swears an oath to uphold the Constitution. I will do everything in my power to fulfill that oath. No one is above the law.

On Wall Street: Those who broke the laws in creating, selling, or grading the toxic assets that damaged our economy should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

On Campaigns and Congress: I will work to ensure that every American can exercise their right to vote without discrimination, that elections are decided by the will of the people not the pocketbooks of the biggest corporations, and that the Congress can and must fulfill its Constitutional role to serve the people of the United States, not just millionaires and billionaires.

On Ethics: Members of Congress are elected to serve the public interest, not their own interest, and that they must adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior. I support tough ethics reform that will stop the revolving door between lobbyists and Congress and put an end to secret meetings with lobbyists that give corporations like Enron and Halliburton huge subsidies and no-bid contracts. My plan is simple: no more secret meetings, no gifts, no lobbyist-funded travel, no exceptions.
We must shape our economy to reward work – and to protect against cheating that hurts those adding real value to the economy in favor of the few who have gamed the system.

On Wages, Labor, and Jobs: Every person who works hard and plays by the rules deserves a shot at the American Dream. I grew up in a blue collar family, I am a proud former member of the Communication Workers of America, and I support a strong labor movement as a healthy counter-balance to the power of corporations. I believe we must continually invest in education, job training, and new industries to help those affected by trade and outsourcing get back on their feet quickly. Finally, I will work to create an environment in which small businesses can thrive as members of our communities so as to encourage entrepreneurship and new job creation.

On Tax Fairness: I would require that profitable corporations and the very wealthy pay their fair share of the tax burden.

On Trade: It’s time our major export was something other than good American jobs and our major import was something other than oil from petrodictators. I support fair trade that creates a level playing field for American workers and businesses. As technology and globalization transform our economy, the United States must use its market power to raise the bar on labor, environmental, and intellectual property standards worldwide, rather than accept the lowest common denominator. We have fought for decades for fair standards that advance the well-being of all people, and we are at a moment of opportunity to see those standards adopted worldwide. I will fight to advance the middle class all over the world.

We must keep the promises we have made to those who have served and built our country.

On Retirement Security: Social Security and private pensions are promises made to working people for their retirement security. I will vigorously oppose any attempts to cut the Social Security or Medicare benefits that people have paid for, and I will fight against risky schemes that would destroy it, including privatization. I will also fight to ensure that employees get the pensions they have earned.

On Veterans: I will never stop working to make sure we keep our promises to our nation’s veterans. I come from a military family – my father, husband, and brother all served in the armed forces – so I understand the sacrifices made by our troops and their families. I will work to ensure that our veterans always receive the support they deserve for their service to our country, and I will opposed attempts to cheat them out of the medical services, educational opportunities, and retirements they have earned through their service.
We must keep the promises we have made to those who have served and built our country.

On Education: Education is the road to opportunity and prosperity. As both a mother and the daughter of a public school teacher, I know first-hand how critical it is that our schools have high standards and help every child achieve their full potential. I support expanding access to high quality early childhood education, smaller class sizes, better pay for good teachers, and more support for college or vocational training. To keep the federal government from further straining state and local budgets, I’ll fight for full federal funding of all federal educational mandates such as special education.

In addition, with student loan debt crippling so many young adults who are seeking but can’t find good work, I support a jobs program to ensure that everyone willing to work hard can get a good job, and that those jobs build the skills of our nation’s current and future workforce while providing a way to earn their way free of educational debt.

On Health Care: Every American should be able to go see a doctor when they need to. I support making Americans healthier and more economically secure, and strengthening Medicare, by allowing all Americans to buy into Medicare.

On Transportation: Transportation is one of the most critical local issues facing the Puget Sound region. Our area’s continued economic vitality and high quality of life depend on our ability to provide fast, safe, and efficient transportation options. Local, state, and federal leaders must all work together to ensure that our region has the resources it needs to develop innovative transportation solutions for the 21st century. I will work hard to bring federal funding back to the region to invest in our future mobility.
We must provide justice for all, protecting the fundamental rights on which our country was founded for everyone here, regardless of the color of their skin or their gender.

On Reproductive Choice: Women’s reproductive decisions are best left to women and their doctors -- without interference from politicians. I also believe we can and should do everything possible to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, in the U.S. and poor countries, by ensuring that every woman who wants them as access to family planning services.

On Marriage: I support full national recognition of marriages legally performed in any state – as the Interstate Commerce Clause clearly Constitutionally requires. This means I support complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.

The civil rights movement succeeded in making illegal discrimination on the basis of race in housing, jobs, commerce, and other key facets of life; I support fully extending those protections to outlaw discrimination based on sex or gender.

On Immigration Reform: We must address immigration in a way that is fair, practical, safe and grounded in the rule of law. It is essential for the United States to secure its borders, particularly for national security reasons, and that this can be done through a combination of technology and increased manpower. We must also enforce existing immigration law, including cracking down on employers who hire undocumented workers. Finally, we should encourage undocumented workers to come out of the shadows by creating a path to legal residency. Eventual citizenship for those currently living and working inside the US must depend on their willingness to work hard, pay taxes, and obey the law.

Because I do not believe in creating a two-tiered society, I oppose guest-worker programs. Everyone we invite to work in the United States should have the full protection of employment laws and a clear path to citizenship.
We must protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the planet we share. Nobody should be permitted to destroy it.

On the Environment and Climate Change: A healthy environment is essential for a high quality of life and I am committed to protecting it for current and future generations. The environment is much more than just beautiful scenery: it is the air we breathe, the water we drink, the ocean and soil that provide our food, and the stable climate we depend on. I will fight for the environment we all cherish, including aggressively addressing global climate change.

On Energy: We need to free the United States from its reliance on the dirty fuels of the nineteenth century and achieve American energy independence by investing in the clean energy technologies of the twenty-first century. I will fight to end subsidies to oil companies, investing instead in new clean energy technologies that will protect the air we breathe and the water we drink while creating jobs right here in Washington State.
We must pursue national security policies which will lead to a safe, sustainable, peaceful world in which the fundamental rights of all persons are protected.

On Afghanistan: We are spending more than $120 billion per year on our military presence in a country whose economy is only about $14 billion per year. It is long past time we had a realistic plan for returning control of Afghanistan to the Afghan people and bringing our troops home. I support aggressively working towards political reconciliation and a regional diplomatic approach to responsibly end the war and bring our troops safely home.

On the Middle East: I support the goals of peace, prosperity, stability, and security for all inhabitants of the Middle East. U.S. policy in the region should be governed by our nation’s core values of fairness, justice, and a firm commitment to the rule of law and the fundamental human rights of all people. The United States must work to encourage moderate voices in the region, on all sides, and regain its role as an honest broker in mediating a just and lasting peace.

On Israel: I condemn the use of terrorism by any party for any reason and support Israel’s right to defend itself against all hostile entities. I favor a strong U.S.-Israeli relationship, as well as strong U.S. relationships with Arab governments and leadership organizations that have renounced terrorist tactics and publicly acknowledged the right of Israel to exist in peace and security. In the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I support a two-state solution in which an independent, democratic, and economically-viable Palestine lives side-by-side with a secure, democratic, and Jewish Israel, with both countries receiving the international support necessary to maintain peace and stability.

My DFA values:

Our campaign is a has always been built off of the model pioneered by Howard Dean. We actively run the campaign to strengthen and empower the grassroots. Including recruiting PCOs, encouraging small donors, having supporters talk to their neighbors, and building a people-powered campaign to fight for, and never give up on, progressive values.

My Campaign is People-Powered!

We have been reaching into our database of 3,000 volunteers to help start-up our campaign.
My 2008 campaign had over 39,000 donors.