SEATTLE – U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a scrappy Democrat who went from an ordinary mom to skilled purveyor of budget pork, turned back a spirited challenge by Republican U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt, winning a third six-year term with ease Tuesday night.
Murray, a former preschool teacher and state lawmaker, was taking 54 percent of the vote to Nethercutt’s 44 percent with 23 percent of the state’s precincts reporting. Two other candidates, Libertarian J. Mills of Tacoma and Green Party nominee Mark Wilson of Suquamish, each had 1 percent.
“Senator Murray is very excited with the results,” said campaign spokeswoman Alex Glass. “She has seen incredible energy on the ground and that bore itself out in the results. The senator is very thankful and excited to go back to Washington, D.C.”
Nethercutt did not concede. Spokesman Alex Conant said the campaign wanted to see more returns before concluding that the battle was over.
Nethercutt knocked off a sitting speaker of the U.S. House in 1994, but failed to get traction against the well-financed Senate incumbent. During the heated, expensive campaign, Nethercutt ran stinging TV ads that attempted to portray Murray as soft on terrorism. He also criticized her vote against the war in Iraq.
Exit polling showed Murray was preferred by women voters 61 percent to 39 percent, and by all age categories except those under 30.
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