Yesterday was the primary in Washington State and it looks like our state may be a bit bluer in November. If the Democrats hope to retake the House of Representatives they will need help from states not afraid of the color blue already. Washington looks poised to help out.
Of the 10 congressional districts in Washington, currently six are held by Dems: WA-01, WA-02, WA-06, WA-07, WA-09, WA-10. All did well yesterday and it doesn’t look like any of them will trouble getting re-elected in November. The only interesting thing that happened that was a bit odd was Adam Smith (WA-09) had a challenger who lines up to the left of him. Oddly her last name is also Smith. In Washington the top two candidates move forward, not dependent on party. Sarah Smith very nearly beat out the Republican challenger which would have meant a Smith-Smith race in November. It didn’t happen but it was fun to think about.
Now where can we help pick up some seats?
WA-08...has been held by retiring Dave Reichert (R), so it is an open seat. Twelve people ran for the seat. The front runner is Dino Rossi (R), well-known in the state for running for U.S Senate (losing once) and two previous races for governor (losing twice) after spending time in the State Senate. He got 43% of the vote. There were three credible Dems running and they split the D vote. It looks like the Kim Schrier emerged on the top of that heap with 18.8% of the vote. She is a pediatrician from Issaquah, just east of Seattle and spent her time going after Trump and Rossi during the primary season, not the other Dems. Her numbers don’t look very good unless you do some addition. Adding all Democratic votes together the total is 49.9%. With just a little push and some help from the other candidates, this is a very possible pick up.
WA-05...Held by Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R). This district is in Eastern Washington, the red part of the state. Spokane is the largest city in the district, second most populous in the state. McMorris Rodgers is busy being part of the GOP leadership structure in the other Washington (DC) and for once Dems think they might have a chance to beat her. Her challenger, Lisa Brown, is well known and liked in Spokane, after serving in the State Senate rising to Majority Leader then was the Chancellor for WSU/Spokane. McMorris Rodgers got 47.56% of the vote, Brown got 47.07%, with three other candidates getting the rest. The only problem is all of the others are republican or conservative. If enough Spokaners get out and vote, we could dethrone McMorris Rodgers. But it will take a lot of work. What sweet revenge that would be: WA-05 was the seat held by former Speaker Tom Foley when he was rudely turned out in 1994!
WA-03… Held by Jaime Herrera Beutler (R). This district has been represented by Dems in the recent past. The main city is Vancouver, right across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon. The results last night were shocking: Herrera Beutler only got 40.9% of the vote. Her main democratic challenger, Carolyn Long, got 36.62%. There is a lot of room for improvement for both parties. Totaling republican votes v democratic votes from all the candidates shows how competitive this race can be:
R=57,335 /// D=58035. Go team D!
Go Blue Washington!!!!