Bob McLaughlin

John BurbankThe three candidates running to replace the retiring Democratic Rep. Helen Sommers in Seattle's 36th Legislative District, Republican Leslie Bloss and Democrats John Burbank and Reuven Carlyle, will meet tonight at 7 P.M. at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard for a debate sponsored by the Municipal League Foundation.

On the Democratic side, where voting history suggests both Democrats will move beyond the "top two" primary, the race in the 36th has been one of the state's most heated. Fundraising numbers have been among the highest in the state and candidates joke that it is the only state-level legislative position that requires a foreign policy.

The stakes will continue to be high tonight with three weeks remaining until the Aug. 19 primary and each candidate looking to build momentum with a strong showing, and hoping to use tonight's debate as an opportunity to show voters what separates them from the field.

Last week Rep. Mary Skinner (R-Yakima) made some waves in the 14th District when she announced her retirement late in the game, leaving little time for candidates to begin their campaigns.

The Yakima Herald reports that, in the small interval of time since Skinner's announcement, five candidates have expressed interest already, and one speculative frontrunner has even dropped out of the bidding.