From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David George Reichert (born August 29, 1950) is
a member of the United States Congress and the
former Sheriff of King County, Washington. He has
served since 2005 as the Republican Congressional
representative of Washington's 8th
congressional district. Congressman Reichert was narrowly
re-elected over Darcy
Burner in 2008 for a third term.
Biography
Early
life
Reichert was born in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota,[1]
the oldest of seven children and grandson of the town marshal.[2]
His family moved to Washington State in 1951 living first in Renton,
Washington, and later
moving to Kent, where he attended Kent Meridian High School. He graduated in
1968 and went on to Concordia Lutheran
College in Portland, Oregon on a small football
scholarship, although he did not earn a Bachelor's degree. In 1971,
he joined the Air Force Reserves's 939th Military Airlift Group. He
saw six months of active duty at Lackland AFB, Texas, Chanute AFB,
Ill., and McChord AFB, Wash., from 1971 to 1976. [3]
Education
Reichert earned an A.A. in Social Work in 1970 from Concordia Lutheran
College in Portland, Oregon[4] where
he also played on the football team.[5]
Law
enforcement career
Reichert served with the King County Sheriff's Department
beginning in 1972. He was a SWAT
Commander, Commander-Hostage Negotiation, Commander-Bomb Disposal
Unit, Commander-Traffic Unit, and an Acting Commander-Internal
Investigations.[6]
Reichert was a leading member of the Green River Task
Force, which was formed to track down the so-called "Green
River Killer." DNA evidence
eventually identified Gary Leon Ridgway
as the Green River Killer in 2001.[6]
Ridgway was sentenced to life in prison
without parole for the Green
River murders.[7]
County
Sheriff
In 1997 he was appointed Sheriff of King County, Washington by King
County Executive Ron
Sims.[6]
In 2001, he ran unopposed for a second four year term.[8] A
widely rebroadcast event during the Seattle World Trade Organization conference and
protests showed Reichert chasing looters down 3rd Avenue in
Seattle.[9]
Affiliations
Reichert served as president of the Washington State Sheriffs’
Association.[2]
Reichert is an executive board member of the Washington
Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.[2]
Awards
Reichert won the 2004 National Sheriffs' Association's Sheriff
of the Year award, two valor awards and the Washington State Atty.
General's Award for courageous action.[2]
Publications
The non-fiction book "Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to
Capture the Green River Killer", published in July 2004, chronicles
his greatest accomplishment as sheriff. ISBN 0-316-15632-9
U.S.
Congress
Eighth Congressional District of Washington
Reichert has been described as a moderate Republican[10] and is
the only centrist member
of the Washington State Delegation, named by the National
Journal three years in a row.[11]
2004
Election
In 2004 Reichert ran for Congress. In the Republican primary
debate, he walked out due to other Republican primary candidates
not adhering to the Republican 11th
commandment.[12][13]
Reichert defeated his Democratic opponent, well known KIRO talk show host Dave Ross in the 2004 Congressional elections, 51 percent to
46 percent. He replaced retiring Republican representative Jennifer Dunn. At
the same time, Democrat John Kerry won, 51 percent to 48 percent,
against President George W. Bush in the 8th district.
That made Reichert one of just 17 House Republicans elected in a
district that went Democratic for president.[14]
ARMPAC,
one of former
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's political action committees,
donated $20,000 to Reichert's election campaign.[15][16] Since
DeLay's 2005 indictment on charges of conspiracy to launder
money, Democrats have urged Reichert to return the money or to
donate it to charitable causes. He has refused to do so.[17]
109th
Congress
Reichert was a member of the following committees: House
Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on
Intelligence Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment,
Subcommittee Management Integration and Oversight, House Committee
on Science, Subcommittee on Energy, Subcommittee on Research,
Subcommittee on Environment Technology and Standards, House
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Subcommittee on Highways
Transit and Pipelines. In September 2005, he was appointed chairman
for the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science and
Technology, a subcommittee within the Homeland Security
Committee.[18]
2006
Elections
Dave Reichert faced Democrat Darcy Burner in November 2006; he was
re-elected with 51% of the vote.[19]
110th
Congress
Reichert was a member of the House Committee on Homeland
Security, the Subcommittee on Border Maritime and Global
Counter-terrorism, and the Ranking Minority Member on the
Subcommittee on Intelligence Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk
Assessment. He was a member of the House Committee on Science and
Technology. Also, he was a member of the House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, with membership on the
Subcommittee on Aviation and Subcommittee on Highways and
Transit.[20]
2008
Elections
In a repeat of the 2006 election matchup, Rep. Dave Reichert
faced Democrat Darcy
Burner. Dave Reichert won the general election with 53% of the
vote to Darcy Burner's 47%[21].
111th
Congress
Committee
assignments
Reichert voted against the stimlus and against Speaker Pelosi's
health care overhaul. He also was one of eight republicans to vote
for Cap and Trade
Elections
| Date |
Position |
Status |
Opponent |
Result |
Vote Share |
Top Opponent Vote Share |
| 1997 |
Sheriff |
|
|
Appointed[6] |
|
|
| 2001 |
Sheriff |
Incumbent |
Ran Unopposed |
Elected |
100%[24] |
N/A |
|
2004 |
U.S. Representative |
Open seat Primary |
Diane
Tebelius(R), Luke
Esser (R), Conrad Lee (R) |
Nominated |
45.34%[25] |
22.13% (Tebelius) |
|
2004 |
U.S. Representative |
Open seat |
Dave Ross (D) |
Elected |
51.50%[26] |
46.70% |
|
2006 |
U.S. Representative |
Incumbent |
Darcy Burner
(D) |
Re-Elected |
51.31%[27] |
48.69% |
|
2008 |
U.S. Representative |
Incumbent |
Darcy Burner
(D) |
Re-Elected |
52.78%[28] |
47.22% |
Family
He is married to Julie, whom he met in college. Together, the
Reicherts currently live in Auburn and have three grown
children, Angela, Tabitha, and Daniel, and six grandchildren.[29]
Reichert is a Missouri Synod Lutheran.[30]
See also
References
External
links
- Biography at the Biographical
Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained
by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and
data at the Federal Election
Commission
- Campaign contributions at
OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at
Project
Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes
at On The Issues
- Seattle Times: Reichert
Endorsement October 15, 2006
- Seattle P-I: Burner is
better October 22, 2006
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Investigates 1996 case October 6, 2006
- Dave Reichert biography from
politics.historyguy.com
- Reichert makes pitch for
security committee Les Blumenthal, The News
Tribune, November 18, 2004
- Domestic Violence Act Renewed
With Kid Power Bill Wilson, Family News in Focus,
September 29, 2005
- Congress passes bill to
shield gun makers (AP) Seattle Times, October 21,
2005
- Homeland group to visit SE
Texas, Beth Gallapsy, The Beaumont Enterprise, October
28, 2005
- 2004 Seattle P-I Candidate
Detail
- Capture of The Green River
Killer Mini-Series
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