Reuven Carlyle defeated fellow Democrat John Burbank by a decisive margin in the Nov. 4 general election to become the new state representative from the 36th District, replacing long-serving Rep. Helen Sommers.

According to a letter from Burbank to the community, he called Carlyle on the morning of Nov. 5 to offer his congratulations on the victory. The final tally was approximately 65 percent to 35 percent.

Carlyle said it felt great to win and the district benefited from having such a hard-fought contest between him and Burbank.

"It was a heck of a journey," he said. "We both worked very, very hard. We both knocked on tens of thousands of doors. It was a great experience for the people in the neighborhood to really get to know both candidates."

Carlyle said he was able to prevail because voters connected with his message that it is possible to combine liberal, progressive ideas with business know-how.

He said he is thankful to all the people that took the time to talk to him on their doorsteps and is eager to get to Olympia to start working on policy, especially public education financing, clean energy and the economy.

"Of course, underlining all that is I've got to listen and learn, and listen and learn," he said.

Burbank said he is feeling good after the election and went back to work at the Economic Opportunity Institute, where he is the executive director.

There is a lot of work to do at the institute, especially on transit and the taxation of oil companies, he said.

"I'm happy to put my energy and effort there right now," Burbank said.

Though he would have loved to be elected, Burbank said there is still important work to be done outside of Olympia.

"You can approach creating policy for the pubic good from many different areas," he said.

Burbank said Carlyle shouldn't have trouble winning over those residents of the 36th who didn't vote for him as long as Carlyle moves forward with public policy that matches the rhetoric of his campaign, such as on education and the environmental issues.

However, Burbank said that it is important for voters to not presume Carlyle's legislative agenda and to allow him to move forward with what he thinks is best and most accomplishable for the district.

Carlyle said winning over Burbank supporters will not be an issue because voters felt they were both solid candidates and he is aligned with them on the issues that are important to them, such as the economy and transportation.

Though election night was bittersweet for him, Burbank said he is happy about the victories of Democrats such as Gov. Chris Gregoire and Commissioner of Public Lands-elect Peter Goldmark, and the election of Barack Obama made him proud to be an American.

"In politics, and in life, not everything goes the way you want it to," he said. "But, you have to get up and keep moving forward."

Michael Harthorne may be contacted at 783.1244 or michaelh@robinsonnews.com