Medina Democrat Ross Hunter is currently part of a crowded county executive field, but don't let that fool you. When, not if, he is eliminated in the August 18 primary, the centrist ex-Microsoft exec and statehouse finance chair will have greatly enhanced both his name recognition and his war chest for a 2010 run against incumbent Eastside Congressman Dave Reichert, a Republican who continues to win in what's now a pretty blue district. Unlike Darcy Burner, a fellow ex-Microsoftie who's come up just short in successive runs against the former King County Sheriff, Hunter actually deigned to enter politics at the local level before vying for a grander stage. And in so doing, he's been about as effective as they come in Olympia, a results-driven, collaborative legislator in the purest sense of the word. If he decides to get in against Sheriff Dave, everyone else should get out of the way.—Mike Seely
