Winners: Darcy Burner and Suzan DelBene

The King County Democratic Central Committee (or Executive Board), about 50 representatives from all the legislative districts, will meet in Renton next Tuesday night to make an endorsement in the race to replace US Rep. Jay Inslee in the newly drawn 1st Congressional District.

Six Democrats are running: Netroots lefty Darcy Burner; former state Department of Revenue Director Suzan DelBene; state Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45, Kirkland) Steve Hobbs (D-44, Lake Stevens), entrepreneur Darshan Rauniyar, and former state rep Laura Ruderman.

The endorsement committee (20 folks, one each from the legislative districts plus the KC Democratic Chair and endorsement committee chair), already met, however, and voted. (They met over the weekend of March 10th and 11th, interviewing candidates and voting. My report on the candidates' questionnaires and the questionnaires themselves are here .)

The endorsement committee is recommending that the Executive Board only consider only Burner and DelBene. The endorsement committee recommendation required a majority vote—Ruderman fell one vote short. But to get the final Executive Board endorsement, a candidate needs a two-thirds vote.

The Executive Committee is allowed to consider any of the candidates who participated (Hobbs and Rauniyar did not), but Chair Steve Zemke says, based on the split in the endorsement committee, "it's going to be very tough for any candidate to get the two-thirds that's required."

A source on the committee seconds that analysis, and tells Jolt that "the lefties are going to push for Darcy, and the moderates and pragmatists are going to push for Suzan, making it impossible for either to get the endorsement."

There could also be a motion for a dual endorsement, which would also require a two-thirds vote.