Congressional races: John Koster and Rick Larsen to advance

Snohomish County Councilman John Koster, a Republican, took a slight lead early Tuesday evening among Snohomish County voters in his bid to unseat Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen in the 2nd Congressional District.

In all other counties of the district, however, Larsen held the lead over Koster. Of the first votes counted, Larsen had about 46 percent of the vote to Koster's 38.7 percent.

The two emerged from the primary's field of five candidates for what is expected to be a fierce battle in November.

The 2nd Congressional District stretches from Everett north to the Canadian border. It covers parts of Snohomish and King counties and all of Island, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties.

Koster had 42.87 percent of the vote to Larsen's 41.24 percent in Snohomish County.

"I didn't spend money on TV and radio in this primary, so we have cash on hand for November," Larsen said. "I want to move forward to help create jobs and help our seniors, and that's what I think most voters want. My opponent wants to move backward to the policies that got us in the hole we are in. It took us 10 years to get us here and it's going to take a little more time to get us out."

Koster said he was happy about the early vote count, which he called a "dead heat."

"Mr. Larsen is only a few thousand votes ahead right now. We're in a race we think we can win in November and the numbers show it," Koster said. "People are ready for someone who listens to them."

Larsen, 45, of Everett, was first elected to his congressional seat in 2000 when he beat three others, including Koster, who lives in Arlington. Larsen won re-election in 2008 by a margin of 62 percent.

In 2009, Koster, 58, won a third and final term on the County Council. He also previously served six years in the state House of Representatives.

In the only other congressional district that represents a portion of Snohomish County, incumbent U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, a Democrat from Bainbridge Island, is the front-runner.

His closest challenger in the 1st Congressional District race is James Watkins, a Republican from Redmond.

Inslee carried about 57 percent of the vote to Watkins' 26 percent.

The congressional district covers south Snohomish County, including the cities of Monroe, Mill Creek, Lynnwood, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace, as well as parts of King and Kitsap counties.

"Our significant lead is cause for optimism," Inslee said. "We're going to run hard as we always do so that we can stand up for Main Street instead of Wall Street."

Inslee, 59, captured 68 percent of the vote in each of his past two re-election bids. Watkins said he is happy about the early returns.

Watkins, 50, is former corporate planner in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Making his first run for political office, Watkins has been endorsed by the Snohomish County Republican Party.

"As I continue to get my message out, it will resonate with voters who are tired of government spending us into debt," Watkins said.