Washington Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell faces Republican Susan Hutchison in the Senate race this November.
Cantwell, who is seeking her fourth term, easily outpaced all other candidates in the Tuesday Democratic primary, garnering more than 55 percent of the vote.
Under Washington’s primary system, the top two vote getters go on to November, regardless of party. Hutchison, a former GOP state party chairwoman, was finishing second in the voting at 23.8 percent.
In Eastern Washington’s 5th Congressional District, Republican incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers advanced, along with Democrat Lisa Brown, a former chancellor of Washington State University-Spokane who previously served as majority leader in the state Senate. Brown and McMorris Rodgers were nearly tied in early returns, at just over 47 percent each.
A closely watched open congressional race is happening in the state’s 8th District to fill the seat by retiring Republican U.S. Representative Dave Reichert. With 43 percent of the vote, Republican Dino Rossi was leading a crowded ballot and easily advanced to the general election. One of three Democrats are expected to advance – Kim Schrier, Jason Rittereiser, or Shannon Hader. Schrier holds a narrow lead over Rittereiser for the second spot, 18.8 percent to 17.6 percent. The 8th District has gone Republican since its creation following the 1980 Census.
The state’s other U.S. House seats are also contested in the primary, with the incumbents seeking re-election.
As Washington is a vote-by-mail state, results for some of the more competitive races may not be known for days as most counties will update vote counts only once daily. (AP, Washington Secretary of State)
