Losing Democrat backs Reichert

A conservative Democrat who came in a distant third in Tuesday's primary in the 8th Congressional District announced Wednesday that he's endorsing incumbent Republican Rep. Dave Reichert.

Reichert and Democrat Darcy Burner will face each other in November's general election.

Jim Vaughn, a former military officer who calls himself a "blue-dog Democrat," said he believes Reichert is best for the job. He called Burner "part of the liberal progressive extreme."

Vaughn spent about $3,800 of his own money on his longshot campaign. So far, he's in third place, with less than 4 percent of the votes.

Vaughn said he plans to start a Democrats for Reichert group to support the Republican's re-election.

The endorsement highlights the battle Reichert and Burner are waging over independent-minded voters.

"I think it's very important for us to remember that we live in a district that is moderate, common-sense, independent thinking kind of district," Reichert said.

Burner campaign spokesman Sandeep Kaushik said that although Vaughn billed himself as a Democrat, his views are much more conservative. He didn't have an active campaign or raise money, Kaushik said. "Vaughn's campaign really didn't amount to much more than a name on the ballot," he said.

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com