In Washington’s 8th District — a suburban Seattle swing seat in which candidates from all parties were on the same primary ballot — Democrats won 49.6% of the vote (led by Washington Rep. Kim Schrier), while Republicans tallied 49.2% of the vote.
Schrier won the seat by four points in 2020. This is a bellwether contest that Republicans should be winning decisively in a strong midterm cycle.
In Washington’s Senate race, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray — who has become a Republican target — won 52.5% of the vote, while Republicans (led by top recruit Tiffany Smiley) tallied 41.2%.
The results show Republicans are making inroads but not nearly enough to unseat the veteran senator in a solid blue state.
Why it matters: The results suggest Republicans are still well on track to win the House majority in 2022, but not by the historic margins that once looked possible. They also indicate that Republicans can’t rely on a big red wave to sweep in their flawed Senate nominees in battleground states.
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