Does your state lean blue or lean red? Check out our new report, highlighting partisan control of state government from 1992-2013.
John Koster
| John Koster | ||
 | ||
| Candidate for | ||
| U.S. House, Washington, District 1 | ||
| Party | Republican | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Snohomish County Councilman | ||
| Current | ||
| Websites | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
.png){kind=avatar} |
The information about this individual is current as of when his or her last campaign ended. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors |
John Koster was a 2012 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House representing the 1st Congressional District of Washington. He lost to Suzan DelBene (D) in the November general election.[1]
Koster is a Snohomish County council member.[2]
Issues
Campaign themes
2012
According to his website, Koster's campaign platform includes the following themes[3]:
- National security
- Second amendment
- Free market
Elections
2012
Koster ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Washington's 1st District.[4] He and Suzan DelBene advanced past the blanket primary and faced off in the general election on November 6, 2012.[5] DelBene won.
With incumbent Jay Inslee (D) retiring and redistricting changing the district's boundaries, the 1st had the potential to go from blue to red.[2]
A large field of Democrats competed for the party nod, but Koster was unopposed on the Republican ticket. Early polling put Koster well ahead of Democratic frontrunner Darcy Burner.[2]
As of late July, polling had Republican Koster leading his challengers: five Democrats and an independent. The same data showed Democratic candidate Suzan DelBene overtaking Darcy Burner for the second slot, thanks largely to a TV ad blitz from DelBene.[6]
At a July event, the candidates had an opportunity to name their highest priority. Burner raised concerns about Super PACs and voiced support of the Affordable Care Act. DelBene said she would focus on job creation. Darshan Rauniyar and Steve Hobbs promised to bring a new face to politics. Laura Ruderman stressed greater health care access. The only Republican in the race, Koster emphasized the need for smaller government.[7]
| U.S. House, Washington, District 1 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Suzan DelBene |
53.9% | 177,025 | |
| Republican | John Koster | 46.1% | 151,187 | |
| Total Votes | 328,212 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
One month short term special election
Koster also ran in a special election to fill retiring representative Jay Inslee's seat for a one-month term before the 2012-2014 term begins. The special election took place on the same primary and general election dates as the full term. Washington was redistricted in 2012; the short-term replacement was elected by the pre-2012 district, and the representative for 2012-2014 was elected by the newly redrawn district.[8]
Koster joined full-term challengers Suzan DelBene (D), Laura Ruderman (D), Darcy Burner (D), and Darshan Rauniyar (D), along with six candidates running just for the one-month term: J. Byron Holcomb (D), Brian Berry (D), Brian Sullivan (D), Ruth Morrison (D), Steven Gerdes (R), and Bob Champion (I).[9] As in the full-term election, the top two vote-getters in the August 7 primary went on the general election ballot.[10]
DelBene defeated Koster in the special election, as well as in the election for the full next term.[11]
Campaign donors
2012
Koster lost an election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Koster's campaign committee raised a total of $1,194,380 and spent $1,181,900.[12]
| U.S. House, Washington District 1, 2012 - John Koster Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,194,380 |
| Total Spent | $1,181,900 |
| Total Raised by Election Winner | $4,420,726 |
| Total Spent by Election Winner | $4,496,799 |
| Top contributors to John Koster's campaign committee | |
| Cornerstone Homes Nw | $20,000 |
| Alaska Structures | $15,500 |
| Associated Builders & Contractors | $15,000 |
| Wells Fargo | $15,000 |
| Hallman Group | $10,500 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Retired | $177,216 |
| Republican/Conservative | $55,120 |
| General Contractors | $48,450 |
| Leadership PACs | $46,500 |
| Real Estate | $33,850 |
External links
References
- ↑ CNN "Washington Districts Race - 2012 Election Center"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Seattle Times "The race is on to fill new 1st Congressional District," May 12, 2012
- ↑ John Koster campaign website "Issues," Accessed August 2, 2012
- ↑ Seattle PI "Watkins out, endorses Koster in the 1st," January 29, 2012
- ↑ AP Primary Results
- ↑ Seattle Times "Voters face crowded ballots for 1st District," July 31, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Times "Congressional District 1 candidates stake their ground, as poll shows movement," July 28, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Times "Special election to replace Inslee for 1 month," April 2, 2012
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State "Candidate Filings," Accessed May 18, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfaq - ↑ Seattle Times "2012 Washington Election Results"
- ↑ Open Secrets "John Koster 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed April 10, 2013
| |||||||||||||
