NOW who's going to run the government like a business? Credit: COURTESY OF TOBY WHITNEY CAMPAIGN
NOW whos going to run the government like a business?
NOW who’s going to run the government like a business? Oh I know, every other democrat running for the seat. COURTESY OF TOBY WHITNEY CAMPAIGN

There are six serious Democratic candidates running to replace Dave Reichert’s seat in Washington’s 8th congressional district. Now there are five.

The Seattle Times reports that Whitney’s leaving due to concerns about his family:

In a statement, Whitney he’d seen ‘up close the toll that 14-hour days and 7-day weeks can take on candidates and their loved ones,’ adding his ‘sprawling family is the most important part of my life and, at this particular moment, that is where I need to be focused.’

At the two candidate forums I observed, attendees appreciated Whitney’s grasp of the way they make the sausage in Washington, D.C. He often drew on his experiences as an aide to longtime Seattle legislator Jim McDermott, and paired it with his ample experience in the private sector as a manager at Amazon.

Rich Smith is The Stranger's former News Editor. He writes about politics, books, and performance. You can read his poems at www.richsmithpoetry.com