2012, Burner was a keynote speaker who asked the women in attendance if they had had an abortion and were willing to let it be known. She is quoted as having said, "If you are a woman in this room who has had an abortion and is willing to come out about it, please stand up." Later she explained, "The people who don’t want them to be able to stand up, who don’t want people to stand with them, are the people who are trying to shame them into silence and it’s long past time we stopped giving into them." She further said during the Keynote "People think they don't know women who've had abortions, when in fact their mothers or their sisters or their co-workers or their friends often have. Women being able to come out of the closet and being able to say 'I've had an abortion' would change people's view of what it meant." 2016 election In February 2016, Darcy Burner began running for the Washington House of Representatives, seeking to represent 5th Legislative District. On February 17, she received the endorsement of the 5th Legislative District Democrats. This nomination was also sought by Matt Larson (D), the Mayor of Snoqualmie. In the August 2016 primary, Burner finished in the top two with Republican Paul Graves, a Seattle attorney whose practice focuses on toxic torts. Graves and Burner moved on to face each other in the November general election. Graves defeated Burner. Views Burner describes herself as a "practical progressive". Her positions include pro-choice on abortion, repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, support for stem cell research, and extending military health coverage to families of Reservists and National Guardsmen. References External links Darcy Burner for State House Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets Microsoft employees Harvard University alumni 1970 births Living people Women in Washington (state) politics Washington (state) Democrats People from Fremont, Nebraska Candidates in the 2008 United States elections 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Redmond, Washington People from Carnation, Washington