7th District has one of several interesting Washington congressional races

By Evan Smith

The 7th Congressional District contest to replace longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott will be the only one in Washington this November without an incumbent. But that contest, which will match two Democrats, State Rep. Brady Piñero Walkinshaw and State Sen. Pramila Jayapal, is just one of several interesting Washington congressional races on the November 8 ballot.

Final certified results of the August 2 primary from the 7th District showed Jayapal with 42 percent of the votes to Walkinshaw’s 21 percent and King County Councilman Joe McDermott’s 19 percent. The remaining votes were divided among two other Democrats, two Republicans and two independents.

The 7th District includes Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Woodway, most of Seattle and Seattle’s southwest suburbs.

In three other districts, incumbents go into November without winning primary majorities.

The three incumbent Washington congressional representatives who led primary balloting with vote percentages of less than 50 percent were Republican 4th District U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, with 46 percent in central Washington; Republican 5th District U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, with 42 percent in eastern Washington; and Democratic 10th District U.S. Rep. Denny Heck with 47 percent in the south Puget Sound area.

Newhouse faces a general-election rematch against tea-party Republican Clint Didier, who took 28 percent of the primary votes with the leading Democrat taking 22 percent. Newhouse defeated Didier in the 2014 general election by a 50.8 percent to 49.2 percent margin.

McMorris Rogers will face Democrat Joe Pakootas in November.

Heck will face Republican Jim Postma in November after Postma won 37 percent to finish ahead of the 13 percent for a second Democrat.

Incumbent Washington U.S. representatives who won primary majorities were: 1st District Democrat Suzan DelBene, who took 54 percent of votes in inland parts of King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties; 2nd District incumbent Democrat Rick Larsen with 52 percent in coastal areas of northwest Washington; 3rd District Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler with 55 percent in southwest Washington; 6th District Democrat Derek Kilmer with 58 percent on the Olympic Peninsula; 8th District Republican Dave Reichert with 57 percent in Chelan. Douglas, Kittitas, east King and east Pierce counties; and 9th District Democrat Adam Smith with 56 percent in south King and north Pierce counties.

Reichert will face Democrat Tony Ventrella, who won 17 percent of primary votes despite suspending his campaign.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.