Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

x close
The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

DelBene Raises $378,000 in the Second Quarter, Has $1 Million on Hand.

2010 Election   July 14, 2010 at 1:13 pm Josh Feit

As tomorrow’s deadline for reporting fundraising numbers in federal races approaches, campaigns are giving sneak peeks at how they’ve done in the second quarter of 2010—April 1 through June 30.

Suzan DelBene, the former Microsoft executive who’s challenging U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R-8) in the Microsoft burbs and Southeast King County, released her topline numbers today. DelBene raised $378,250 this quarter, bringing her to a grand total of $1.6 million raised to date and $1 million on hand.

DelBene’s press release teased out some populist spin:

A total of 76 percent of Q2 donors were first-time donors to the campaign—up from 68 percent in Q1. These new donors represent an ever-expanding foundation of support … The DelBene campaign has had a total of 2,700 donors.

Reichert and DelBene were neck and neck last quarter, with $1.3 million an $1.2 million respectively. Reichert had nearly $500,000 in PAC money last quarter while DelBene, with little PAC money, loaned herself about $500,000.


  • Marysmithin1978

    for your “respectively” to matter it must be in the right order and DelBene finished with over 100K cash on hand to Reichert last quarter – which actually isnt really “neck and neck” either.

  • Josh Feit

    It is in the right order: Last Q R had raised a total of $1.3 M and D had raised a total of $1.2… Respectively. And in that instance, I was referring to total raised (neck and neck) to highlight their equal fundraising powers, not who had more on hand.

    We'll compare new onhand numbers when everything is crunched at the FEC this week.

  • http://michaelmaddux.blogspot.com/ Michael M.

    Riiiiight. I hear that all the time, “we'll follow up later”, and rarely do I see it. If you do, I'll buy you a beer (one can of PBR, to be exact…and have ABC messenger it to your building, to avoid the shame of being wrong)

  • Mike in Seattle

    Why do these successful women from Microsoft like Suzan and Darcy want to leave their children and husbands for a life in Washington DC? They are willing to fund their campaigns with personal money that far exceeds what the job pays. Makes you wonder why their ego demands this public exposure. I guess when you thirst for power you need to run for public office, even if you don't have the need to vote in the elections. Strange!

  • Nyconven

    Like Whitman and Fiorina in California just to name a few female R's who must also thirst for power and also have an ego problem?

  • Mike in Seattle

    I don't think I suggested it was party specific! I would point out though that Whitman and Fiorina don't have children at home like Suzan and Darcy do.