Washington's 1st Congressional District elections, 2012
2014 →
|
 |
November 6, 2012 |
August 7, 2012 |
Suzan DelBene  |
Jay Inslee |
 |
 |
The 1st Congressional District of Washington will elect its next representative to the U.S. House in 2012.
Suzan DelBene was elected.[1]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Washington has a top-two primary system, in which the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, go on to the general election.[2]
Voter registration: Voters were required to register to vote in the primary by July 9, 2012 or July 30, 2012 in-person for first-time voters.[3] For the general election, voter registration deadlines were October 9, 2012 and October 28, 2012 for first-time voters.[3]
- See also: Washington elections, 2012
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Jay Inslee (D), who was first elected to the House in 1992. He did not run for re-election, as he instead retired to become a candidate in Washington's 2012 gubernatorial election.[4] A special election was held to select a representative to fill Inslee's vacated seat for just one month before the representative elected for the next term took office.
This was the first election which used new district maps based on 2010 Census data. Washington's 1st Congressional District is located in the northwestern portion of the state, and includes Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish counties, and part of King county.[5]
Candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.
General election candidates
August 7, 2012, primary results
|
|
Election results
General election
| 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" | ||||
Primary
Washington's top-two primary system meant voters chose from the full field of candidates on August 7, 2012, and the top two vote-getters went on to the general election, regardless of their party. Incumbent Jay Inslee (D) retired to pursue the governorship, so the 1st District race was in the spotlight in the 2012 election season.[14]
As of late July 2012, polling had Republican John 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 recent TV ad blitz from DelBene.[14]
Early on, Burner, a progressive activist, capitalized on anti-wealthy sentiment to pull ahead of former Microsoft executive Suzan DelBene.[15] $2.3 million of DelBene's campaign funds came from her own bank account, although she raised $500,000 of independent funds as well.[14] Burner said DelBene is trying to buy the election, but DelBene, who is worth $53 million, said she is joining her supporters in investing in her campaign.[16][14]
At a July 2012 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.[17]
Adding another layer of financial interest was a Super PAC run by one candidate's parent. Laura Ruderman's mother ran Progress for Washington,[14] which by July 31 had spent almost $200,000 against DelBene.[18]
Race background
Washington's 1st District was included in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue List," which identified districts that the organization specifically targeted to flip from Republican to Democratic control.[19]
Republican challenger John Koster was included in the National Republican Congressional Committee's Young Guns program. The program highlighted challengers who represented the GOP's best chances to pick up congressional seats in the general election.[20]
Competitiveness
Washington's 1st was considered to be Leaning Democratic according to the New York Times race ratings. The retirement of Democratic incumbent Jay Inslee opened up the district to a possible Republican take-over. Combined with a district that is less Democratic due to redistricting, Republican John Koster had a shot at picking up the seat in November.[21]
This race was considered competitive.[22][7][23]
Blue vs. red
Possible race ratings are:
Solid Democratic
Likely Democratic
Lean DemocraticTossup
Lean Republican
Likely Republican
Solid Republican
Washington's 1st District is a Democratic-leaning swing district.
In May 2012, the Cook Political Report rated the district as leaning Democratic,[22] as did Sabato's Crystal Ball.[23]
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Washington
Washington gained a congressional seat following the 2010 Census. The newly redrawn 1st District runs from Redmond to Canada, encompassing the bulk of King, Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties.[24]
The 1st District was re-drawn after the 2010 Census. The new district is composed of the following percentages of voters of the old congressional districts.[25][26]
- 48 percent from the 1st Congressional District
- 42 percent from the 2nd Congressional District
- 10 percent from the 8th Congressional District
District partisanship
FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012 study
- See also: FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012
In 2012, FairVote did a study on partisanship in the congressional districts, giving each a percentage ranking (D/R) based on the new 2012 maps and comparing that to the old 2010 maps. Washington's 1st District became more balanced because of redistricting.[27]
- 2012: 53D / 47R
- 2010: 59D / 41R
Cook Political Report's PVI
In 2012, Cook Political Report released its updated figures on the Partisan Voter Index, which measured each congressional district's partisanship relative to the rest of the country. Washington's 1st Congressional District had a PVI of D+3, which was the 164th most Democratic district in the country. In 2008, this district was won by Barack Obama (D), 57-43 percent over John McCain (R). In 2004, John Kerry (D) won the district 51-49 percent over George W. Bush (R).[28]
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
 |
| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
2010
On November 2, 2010, Jay Inslee won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating James Watkins (R).[29]
| U.S. House of Representatives General Election, Washington, Congressional District 1, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jay Inslee Incumbent |
57.7% | 172,642 | |
| Republican | James Watkins | 42.3% | 126,737 | |
| Total Votes | 299,379 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2012
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2012
- United States Senate elections in Washington, 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ CNN "Washington Districts Race - 2012 Election Center"
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Top 2 Primary: FAQ," accessed May 17, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Dates and Deadlines," accessed May 25, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Times, "Inslee announces run for governor, with a jobs-and-business theme," accessed December 6, 2011
- ↑ Washington Redistricting Map, "Map" accessed July 24, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Post-Intelligencer "Darcy Burner announces candidacy for Congress," accessed December 6, 2011
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Seattle Times "The race is on to fill new 1st Congressional District," May 12, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "st" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Roll Call "Inslee Announcement Prompts More Demcoratic Interest," accessed December 6, 2011
- ↑ The (Everett) Daily Herald "Hobbs looks to bring moderate voice to Congress," accessed December 6, 2011
- ↑ Everett Herald "Stymied by redistricting, Liias scraps run for Congress," accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ Roger Goodman campaign website "Goodman withdraws from congressional race," April 12, 2012
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Seattle PI "Watkins out, endorses Koster in the 1st," January 29, 2012
- ↑ Seattlest "Correction: There is One More Person Running in the First District," accessed December 6, 2011
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Seattle Times, "Voters face crowded ballots for 1st District," July 31, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Times, "The race is on to fill new 1st Congressional District," May 12, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Times, "DelBene adds $400,000 in own money campaign; total of $2.3 million," July 29, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Times, "Congressional District 1 candidates stake their ground, as poll shows movement," July 28, 2012
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Progress for Washington Independent Expenditures," accessed July 31, 2012
- ↑ DCCC, "Red to Blue 2012"
- ↑ NRCC "Young Guns 2012"
- ↑ New York Times, "House Race Ratings," accessed August 10, 2012
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Cook Political Report, "Competitive House Races," May 3, 2012
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Center for Politics, "2012 House Ratings," Updated May 9, 2012
- ↑ Washington Redistricting Commission, "Final Statewide," accessed May 15, 2012
- ↑ Moonshadow Mobile's CensusViewer, "Washington's congressional districts 2001-2011 comparison"
- ↑ Labels & Lists, "VoterMapping software voter counts"
- ↑ "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in Washington," September 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" accessed October 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
