Washington: John Burbank

One of the most competitive and heated races in the state is in Seattle's 36th Legislative District where two Democrats, Reuven Carlyle and John Burbank, are vying for the seat being vacated by long-serving Rep. Helen Sommers.

But the drama does not end when one of those two is elected this November. There is also the matter of who fills in for Sommers in the House Democratic leadership. Sommers, after all, was the chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

BALLARD - The two candidates vying for the position 1 seat of the 36th Legislative District, Democrats Reuven Carlyle and John Burbank, exchanged ideas  and attempted to differentiate themselves from one another tonight in a debate at the Sunset Hill Community Association.

[img_assist|nid=2139|title=John Burbank|desc=Campaign Photo|link=none|align=left|width=420|height=420]John Burbank received the actual endorsement of the 36th Legislative District Democrats at their monthly meeting Thursday night, just over three weeks after the August 19 "top two" primary that saw his opponent, Reuven Carlyle, outpoll him by four and a half percentage points.

[img_assist|nid=1026|title=Reuven Carlyle|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=154|height=200]Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) has endorsed Reuven Carlyle for Representative in her 36th Legislative District, the Seattle P-I is reporting. Kohl-Welles has represented the district since 1992, for one term as a representative and in her current seat ever since.