Washington voters on Tuesday didn’t take out their frustration with Congress on members of this state’s delegation.
Nine incumbents were headed toward re-election after the first night of ballot counting including Snohomish County’s three Democratic representatives: Suzan DelBene in the 1st Congressional District, Rick Larsen in the 2nd District and Jim McDermott in the 7th District.
Meanwhile, in Eastern Washington, Republican Dan Newhouse held a 11-point lead on fellow Republican Clint Didier in a contentious all-GOP duel to succeed retiring Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.
Other than that race, the most watched contest pitted DelBene against Republican Pedro Celis, who had been viewed as the GOP’s best hope of unseating a Democrat incumbent in Washington this election.
DelBene, a former Microsoft vice president, dispelled talk of an upset Tuesday when she garnered 54.4 percent against Celis’ 45.6 percent.
With victory all but assured, the 52-year-old Medina resident earns a second term in the district which passes through four counties — Snohomish, King, Skagit and Whatcom — and includes the cities of Lake Stevens, Snohomish, Darrington, Mill Creek, Monroe, and Sultan.
“I am very, very thankful for the support we’ve had throughout the region,” she said by phone from Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville where she hosted an election night party.
Tuesday’s results showed DelBene with commanding leads in Snohomish, King and Skagit counties which make up roughly three-quarters of the electorate. Celis is ahead in Whatcom County.
On the campaign trail, DelBene told voters she deserved a second term because she had kept her 2012 pledge to work on bipartisan solutions to problems such as immigration reform, agriculture and reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank.
Tuesday, she hit those themes again when she said she’ll be “focused on working together to get results” in the next Congress.
When the year began she anticipated a potentially difficult road to re-election. State and national Republican leaders embraced Celis, a first-time candidate with a compelling biography and professional resume, and seemed committed to turning this into a battleground contest.
Celis, a native of Mexico, is a retired Microsoft engineer and former chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. He campaigned as a fiscal conservative who wanted to ensure everyone, including immigrants, could live the “American Dream” as he had.
But Celis foundered in the primary and almost didn’t advance. After his poor performance, the Republican Party establishment that urged him into the race decided to put its financial resources into other winnable contests around the country.
In the end, DelBene heavily outspent him. She raised $2.25 million in the election cycle and didn’t spend most of until after the primary election. Celis pulled in $644,631 but had only $83,421 in cash on hand for the crucial last month of the campaign.
2nd District
Larsen, an Arlington native, dominated Republican B.J. Guillot 64.1 percent to 35.9 percent and is assured of an eighth term in office.
Larsen, a former lobbyist and Snohomish County Council member, campaigned on his record of securing federal support for transportation projects, environmental protection and aerospace. He now serves on the House Armed Services and Transportation committees.
Guillot, who develops software used by hospitals and ambulance companies, ran as a moderate on social issues and conservative on fiscal matters.
Larsen brought in $1 million for this election compared to Guillot’s $6,200.
7th District
McDermott will get a 14th term in Congress as he dispatched Republican Craig Keller 80.3 percent to 19.7 percent. The 77-year-old Seattle resident is the longest serving member of Washington’s congressional delegation.
McDermott backed the Affordable Care Act and immigration reform which would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the country. The unapologetic liberal also opposed President Barack Obama’s request to provide military training to moderate rebels in Syria to fight ISIS.
Keller campaigned against the federal health care law and immigration reforms backed by McDermott that he said amounted to amnesty for millions of undocumented immigrants.
Entering October, McDermott had outraised Keller $537,000 to $8,000.
3rd District
Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler repelled the challenge of Democrat Bob Dingenthal 60.6 percent to 39.4 percent in this southwest Washington district.
Beutler, a former state lawmaker, will be returning for her 3rd term. She’s been a loyal vote for the majority Republicans in the House, including a willingness to support repeal of the federal health care law. She amassed $1.7 million in her campaign.
Dingenthal, a former outreach director for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, was making his first bid for Congress. He raised $184,000.
5th District
Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane, a rising star in the Republican Party, is assured a fifth term as she steamrolled Democrat Joe Pakootas 59.4 percent to 40.6 percent.
Rodgers, a former state lawmaker, is chair of the House Republican Conference making her the highest-ranking woman in caucus leadership. She amassed nearly $2.5 million for the campaign compared to her opponent’s $174,000.
Pakootas is a member of the Colville Indian Tribal Council and former chairman.
6th District
Freshman Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer is on course for re-election as he whipped Republican Marty McClendon 63 percent to 37 percent.
Kilmer, who served in the state House and Senate, succeeded the legendary congressman Norm Dicks in 2012. He campaigned on his willingness to work with Republicans on a slate of issues through the Bipartisan Working Group. He raised $1.9 million for the campaign.
McClendon told voters that he had no elective experience “which will allow me to serve the 6th district with a clearer perspective.” His campaign brought in $25,825.
8th District
Republican Rep. Dave Reichert was defeating Democrat Jason Ritchie 63.2 percent to 36.8 percent in what some political analysts think is a tune-up for a possible 2016 run for governor by the congressman.
Reichert had been heavily favored to win re-election, yet the former King County sheriff paid for a heavy dose of television commercials in the campaign’s final days, sparking conjecture that he was trying to increase his identity among voters in advance of a statewide campaign.
Reichert outraised Ritchie, a business owner and former college instructor, by a margin of $1.2 million to $209,000.
9th District
Democratic Rep. Adam Smith is headed back for a 10th term as he was beating Republican Doug Basler 69.4 percent to 30.6 percent.
Smith, a former state lawmaker, is the ranking minority member of the House Armed Services Committee. He raised $1 million for the contest in the district that takes in parts of King and Pierce counties.
Basler, a veteran party activist, had spent less than $7,000 on his campaign.
10th District
Democratic Rep. Denny Heck, another freshman, took the lead on Republican Joyce McDonald 55.2 percent to 44.8 percent in the district which encompasses the south Puget Sound region.
Heck, a former state lawmaker and chief of staff to former Gov. Booth Gardner, lost to Beutler in 2010 then won in the state’s new 10th District in 2012. The prolific fund raiser collected nearly $1.8 million in this election cycle.
McDonald, a onetime state lawmaker, raised roughly $90,000 for her campaign.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com
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