Shown is the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 9, 2024. (Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
Washington is on track to send at least two new lawmakers to Congress next year.
Although some of the state’s congressional races are still up in the air, Washingtonians have a pretty clear picture of their next delegation, which will include mostly Democratic incumbents.
In the 5th Congressional District in eastern Washington and the 6th District in the northwestern corner of the state, candidates were vying to fill open seats after two long-standing representatives announced retirements earlier this year.
As of Tuesday, Republican Michael Baumgartner had a clear lead – almost 60% of the vote – over Democrat Carmela Conroy, who carried 40% of the vote, in the 5th district.
Baumgartner is the Spokane County treasurer and a former state senator. He will take over Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who announced earlier this year she would not seek reelection after holding the position since 2005.
Conroy is a former diplomat. She conceded Tuesday night but said she plans to run again in 2026, according to The Spokesman-Review.
The new face in the 6th Congressional District will likely be state Sen. Emily Randall, a Democrat. In Tuesday’s results, Randall received 57.3% of the vote while her Republican opponent state Sen. Drew MacEwen received 42.6%.
Randall would take over for U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, a Democrat who announced earlier this year he would not seek reelection. It’s the first new representative for the district since 2013.
Two of Washington’s most closely watched congressional races were still too close to call, as of Tuesday.
In their election rematch, Democratic incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez had 51.8% of the vote with Republican Joe Kent trailing with 47.8%. The close race in the 3rd Congressional District in southwest Washington is one of a handful across the country expected to decide control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
In the 4th Congressional District in central Washington, Republican incumbent Dan Newhouse had a narrow lead over Trump-backed Jerrod Sessler, who is also a Republican. Newhouse had 48% of the vote while Sessler had 50.4%, as of Tuesday.
A host of reelections
It was a good night for Democratic incumbents representing Washington in Congress.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell sailed to a fifth term with nearly 60% of the vote.
Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Democrat, led her Republican challenger Jeb Brewer with 64.1% of the vote. Brewer, director at a construction contracting company, had 35.7% of the vote. DelBene will represent the 1st Congressional District in parts of King and Snohomish Counties north of Seattle. She first assumed office in 2001.
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, a Democrat, was reelected in the 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from the San Juan Islands through Whatcom County and includes Lynwood and parts of Snohomish County.
Larsen received 64.4% of the vote, while his Republican challenger Cody Hart received 35.4%. Larsen has represented the district since 2001.
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal cruised to a fifth term with 84.8% of the vote. Her Republican challenger Dan Alexander had 14.9% of the vote. Jayapal has represented the 7th Congressional District in Seattle since 2016.
In the 10th District, which covers Olympia and parts of Pierce County, Democrat Marilyn Strickland was headed for another term. Strickland, who was first elected in 2020, had 58.4% of the vote as of Tuesday while her Republican challenger Don Hewett had 41.4%.
In the 8th Congressional District, Democrat Kim Schrier was leading her Republican challenger Carmen Goers 54.2% to 45.6%, as of Tuesday’s results. If her lead holds, Schrier, who was first elected in 2018, would continue to represent the district, which is just east of Seattle and sprawls across the Cascade mountains.
Rep. Adam Smith, who was first elected to represent the 9th Congressional District in 1996, also won another term on Tuesday. Smith, a Democrat, had 68.7% of the vote while his Democratic challenger Melissa Chaudhry had 28.8%. The district is in the Puget Sound region and includes Federal Way and parts of Seattle and Bellevue.