First place in the upcoming primary election in Washington’s 1st will clearly go to Republican John Koster, he being the only Republican running a substantial race. The race for the other spot in the contest to go on to November is being fought out among a bunch of Democrats, most principally, it now seems, Darcy Burner and Suzan DelBene.

There are two decently-funded male candidates in the race too, but they seem to be behind in polling and fundraising. Three women, all veterans of major office races (in two cases previously for Congress), seem to have the major push.

The third is Laura Ruderman, a former legislator who has run for statewide office and is a tough campaigner. She has an unusual role here: Her mother is helping finance a PAC that’s been on the attack against DelBene, and that may not help her. She has on the other hand been campaigning strongly and raised money comparable to Burner; both have raised, at the end of June, close to a half million dollars. She got the endorsement of the Seattle Stranger.

Burner, who has run for the House twice before, has led in polling, and leads slightly in a new Strategies 360 poll – but in this one, by just one point, over DelBene.

DelBene, who has also run for Congress, has raised about as much money from other people as Burner and Ruderman but also has self-funded to the tune of a million dollars. In a race in which none of the Democratic candidates is especially well known (Koster, because of his various runs and sometimes wins on the ballot in the area in past years, must be better known in the new district than any of the Democrats), that money can matter, if it’s well spent.

More polling surely awaits.