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Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018

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Washington's 3rd Congressional District
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Top-two primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 18, 2018
Primary: August 7, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Jaime Herrera Beutler (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: No polling hours (vote-by-mail)
Voting in Washington
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
Inside Elections: Likely Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
Washington's 3rd Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th
Washington elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018


Incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) defeated Carolyn Long (D) in the November 6, 2018, general election to represent Washington's 3rd Congressional District.

Beutler was first elected to the House in 2010 with 53 percent of the vote. She won re-election in 2012, 2014, and 2016 with at least 60 percent support.

This district was listed as one of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's initial targets in 2018.[1] The group added Long to its "Red to Blue" program after she received 35 percent of the vote in the August top-two primary; Beutler received 42 percent. The race was rated Lean Republican by two ratings outlets and Likely Republican by another as of early October.

All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.

Grey.png For more information about the top-two primary, click here.


Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Washington District 3

Incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler defeated Carolyn Long in the general election for U.S. House Washington District 3 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jaime Herrera Beutler
Jaime Herrera Beutler (R)
 
52.7
 
161,819
Image of Carolyn Long
Carolyn Long (D)
 
47.3
 
145,407

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 307,226
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 3

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 3 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jaime Herrera Beutler
Jaime Herrera Beutler (R)
 
42.1
 
68,961
✔
Image of Carolyn Long
Carolyn Long (D)
 
35.3
 
57,798
Image of David McDevitt
David McDevitt (D)
 
8.0
 
13,124
Image of Earl Bowerman
Earl Bowerman (R)
 
5.5
 
9,018
Image of Dorothy Gasque
Dorothy Gasque (D)
 
4.9
 
7,983
Image of Michael Cortney
Michael Cortney (R) Candidate Connection
 
3.4
 
5,528
Image of Martin Hash
Martin Hash (D)
 
0.9
 
1,498

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 163,910
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Jaime Herrera Beutler, U.S. Representative
Jaime Herrera Beutler.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: Yes

Political office: U.S. Representative from Washington (Assumed office: 2011), Washington House of Representatives (2007-2011)

Biography: Herrera Beutler attended Seattle Pacific University from 1996 to 1998, earned her associate degree from Bellevue Community College in 2003, and earned her B.A. in communications with an emphasis in political science from the University of Washington in 2004.[2] Her experience included serving as director of development for a youth leadership development program, as an intern to state senator Joe Zarelli, and as an intern in the White House to the director of political affairs. She was also a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R).

Key messages
  • Herrera Beutler described her appreciation for southwest Washington and her desire to preserve it through her work in Congress.[3]
  • Herrera Beutler focused on what she saw as her accomplishments in the U.S. House, such as cutting taxes for individuals and small businesses, preserving the Columbia River's endangered fish population, and working to repeal Obamacare.[4]
  • One of her campaign priorities was fighting against an Oregon toll placed on bridges in southwest Washington. Another priority was rolling back regulations that she said hinder small-business growth and job opportunities in the state.[5]



Carolyn Long, professor
Carolyn Long.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Long earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon and her master's from Rutgers University. At the time of the general election, she was a tenured professor at Washington State University, Vancouver, teaching classes in American institutions, public law, American public policy, and public civility.[6]

Key messages
  • Long said she ran for Congress to put "the needs of the people over the influence of special interests." The phrase "People over politics" appeared several times on her campaign website and in her campaign ads.[7]
  • Long said she wanted to repair the Affordable Care Act and provide a public option for healthcare coverage. She also said she would work to preserve Social Security and Medicare.[8]
  • She also campaigned on overturning Citizens United and promoting transparency in campaign finance.[8]


Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018
Poll Poll sponsor Jaime Herrera Beutler Carolyn LongNot sure/UndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
NYT Upshot/Siena College
(October 14-19, 2018)		The New York Times 48%41%12%+/-4.6497
Lake Research Partners
(October 9-11, 2018)		Long campaign 43%45%12%+/-4.9400
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Jaime Herrera Beutler Republican Party $2,705,354 $3,042,796 $48,967 As of December 31, 2018
Carolyn Long Democratic Party $3,883,284 $3,853,132 $30,152 As of December 31, 2018

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[9][10][11]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • WomenVote! had spent $406,000 opposing Herrera Beutler as of October 26, 2018.[13]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018
Race trackerRace ratings
October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political ReportLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+4, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 4 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Washington's 3rd Congressional District the 205th most Republican nationally.[14]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.00. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.00 points toward that party.[15]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Jaime Herrera Beutler

Carolyn Long

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Carolyn Long

Support

"Mom" - Elect Carolyn Long ad, released September 24, 2018
"Working" - Elect Carolyn Long ad, released September 11, 2018
"Investing in a Skilled Workforce" - Elect Carolyn Long ad, released May 30, 2018

Oppose

"$2,300" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released October 26, 2018

Republican Party Jaime Herrera Beutler

Oppose

"Enough" - House Majority PAC ad, released October 30, 2018
"Enough" - EMILY's List ad, released October 23, 2018

Campaign themes

The campaign themes below were taken from the candidates' 2018 campaign websites.

Jaime Herrera Beutler

Sea Lions

Guess who caught 46,000 returning salmon below Bonneville Dam in the last 10 years? Sea lions did. They don’t discriminate between endangered salmon species, and their numbers are exploding. Now, whole salmon runs are nearing extinction.

That’s why I’m fighting for bipartisan legislation that would allow fish managers to control the sea lion population, and prevent the day when salmon disappear from the Columbia River entirely.

Standing up for Seniors

We must keep our promise to Americans who depend on programs like Social Security and Medicare. This means ensuring that these programs are strong now and in the future, and not raided by D.C. politicians to fuel government overspending.

National Security

The safety of Americans must remain a top priority. It’s crucial that our military and armed forces have adequate resources, equipment, and training to protect us from terrorism and any bad actors who wish to do American citizens harm.

Oregon Tolling

I’m fighting Oregon’s plan to place tolls on the I-5 and I-205 bridges, which would unfairly force Southwest Washington commuters to pay for Oregon infrastructure they barely use. Such a move would penalize Washington residents who must commute to work in Oregon, create no new lanes for congestion relief on I-5 or I-205, and would make it harder for both states to rebuild or update the aging I-5 bridge in the future.

Both roadways are federal interstate highways, and as this region’s federal representative, I’ll keep fighting against any plan that unfairly treats Southwest Washington residents like piggy banks and provides them little to no benefit in return.

Education

It is important for our schools to be safe places where our children can learn and grow into productive members of our community. To have excellent schools, choices about education are best made locally, not by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., and I’m working to empower parents and educators here in Southwest Washington to make decisions that ensure students and their success are the focus.

Ending the Opioid Crisis

Too many of our families, neighbors and friends in Longview, Vancouver, Centralia and communities across Southwest Washington have been impacted by our country’s rampant opioid addiction crisis. We must tackle the root causes, and bolster effective treatment and rehabilitation programs for those suffering from addiction to confront this national crisis.

Veterans

Those who serve and risk their lives in the name of our freedom deserve our total support when they return home. I’m working to improve resources for the veteran community.

Protecting Public Lands

Our region is lucky to be home to majestic natural treasures like the Pacific Crest Trail and Mt. St. Helens. It is important we protect them for future generations to enjoy. I’ll always fight to preserve our national monuments like Mt. St. Helens and protect the public’s ability to access the land that belongs to them.

Making health care more affordable, more available

Health care costs continue to impact families in all of our communities. Under the Affordable Care Act, rural residents have been treated like second-class citizens when it comes to health care access. Our country’s rate of maternal mortality lags behind the rest of the industrialized world. I think we deserve better, and that every individual should be able to get affordable, quality health care no matter who they are or where they live.

Whether it’s fighting to restore health insurance options for Klickitat County, working to lower the cost of prescription medication and treatment, or leading the way on legislation to reverse the death rate among moms, I’ll keep advancing solutions to improve health care in Southwest Washington.

Economy & Jobs

From our fisheries to our breweries, Southwest Washington is built on small businesses. I’m working to roll back burdensome regulations that hinder small-business growth and job opportunities for Washingtonians.[5]

Carolyn Long

Healthcare

It is time for Congress to stop playing politics with people’s healthcare. All Americans deserve affordable healthcare to ensure quality of life and to make sure small problems don’t become big problems. We need to focus on preventative health and not punish people for preexisting conditions. Republicans in Congress have decided to stop trying to repeal the ACA, and, instead, they use their administrative power to undermine its effectiveness. We need to immediately repair the Affordable Care Act, stabilize the marketplace and provide a Public Option to expand coverage while we work towards health care for all.

We must address the outrageous price of prescription drugs, and work with providers to make them affordable for everyone. No one should have to decide between paying for their medications or their heating bill. We already spend more per person as a percentage of GDP than any other advanced nation in the world. Solving these problems isn’t just the compassionate thing to do, it's the fiscally responsible thing to do.

Congress must take concrete steps to ensure mental health parity. We need to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health by providing accessible coverage and affordable care by treating mental health issues alongside physical issues. Substance abuse takes lives, destroys families, devastates the community, and damages the economy. Addiction is a disease, and if we want to combat it, we must treat it as such.

Earned Benefits - Medicare & Social Security

Make no mistake, when Republicans passed their $1.5 trillion tax give-away for the rich, they knew what they wanted to do next: make deep cuts to earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare. That was always their plan, and I will fight against any attempt to take the money you paid into the system your entire working life. Earned benefits are a promise to the American people that when you’ve reached old age and are unable to work any more, we’re going to look out for you. We cannot break that promise.

Roughly ten thousand more Baby Boomers retire every day and that will continue for the next decade. For far too long, Congress has raided the earned benefit trusts, and as America ages we need to take action to restore the long-term vitality of Social Security and Medicare.

Campaign Finance Reform

The Supreme Court’s decision to favor the role of corporations in politics was expected, but regrettable. Let’s lead the effort to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. When corporations have the same rights as people, big money drowns out the voices of the everyday American. We need campaign finance reform to diminish the role of special interest groups and big money donors. The influx of corporate and private-interest money in our elections is destroying our democracy. All Americans, regardless of their income, should be able to meaningfully participate in the political process. It’s time to say enough is enough and instead amplify the voices of the American people!

We must require significantly more disclosure and transparency in order to remove the influence of secret, unaccountable dark money. We need to eliminate super PACS and outside spending abuse, while strengthening the Federal Election Commission to enforce and reinforce campaign finance law.

Job Creation, Better Wages, and The Economy

We need good jobs that pay enough to support a family and provide a fair return on our work. Families all across Southwest Washington continue to struggle every day while the super-rich reap the benefits of a rigged economy. That’s wrong. Instead of hoping something will trickle down, we need to build an economy that works for everyone. Our tax code must be reformed to benefit the real job creators: middle class families with money in their pocket.

Small businesses need our support to continue creating family-wage jobs that help us all thrive. We need business and industry to relocate to our region and expansion and growth for businesses that are already here. We must support policies that encourage growth and innovation, and advocate for living wages for our diverse and skilled workforce. And we must be smarter about regulations so that small businesses have an easier path to entry and success.

Veterans Affairs

As a country, we have a moral responsibility to take care of those who have risked their lives to defend us. We must work to establish a seamless transition from military service to civilian life by matching skills learned during active duty to available jobs in the area. More than just thanking our Veterans for their service, we need to provide educational opportunities and job training, and take action to end chronic homelessness and suicide. We owe it to those who serve and have served this country to support them all along the way.

We must preserve the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program. Providing education and job training is the least we can do for the small percentage of those who answered the call.

We must address the problems that plague the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that every Veteran has timely access to high-quality health care and that all Veterans receive the Veteran-centric care they need.The Choice Program fills a need, and should be continued, but we also need to protect the VA from privatization, and attempts to defund and undermine the VA’s capacity.

Many returning Veterans are unaware of the services and benefits available to them when they come home. Far too often those that would benefit the most from VA services are the least likely to seek them. We must embrace our returning troops, do away with the stigma of receiving or asking for assistance, and do our best to inform and encourage them to leverage what they have earned and deserve.

Education

As an educator of over 22 years, I know first-hand the importance and value of a high-quality public education. We all know that strong communities depend on a well-educated workforce, and our representatives have a duty to work together for our children’s future. Teachers shouldn’t have to choose between spending massive amounts of their own money and leaving students without the resources they need. We have to do better to close the achievement gap and support underserved communities so that every child has the same opportunity to achieve their dreams.

The cost of higher-education has spiraled out of control and we must find immediate solutions to make it more affordable. Every year I watch my students graduate and instead of building a family, buying a house, or starting a business, they are left with immense monthly student loan payments. Every dollar that goes to paying off excessive student loans is a dollar that isn’t being spent right here in our community. In fact, after 22 years, I’m still paying off my student loans. Things have to change.

But college isn’t for everyone,so we must invest in and support the expansion of apprenticeships and internships for students. Programs like those offered at Cascadia Tech Academy in Vancouver provide new graduates with a foot in the door and help businesses find the quality employees they need for success.

Women

Women have come too far to take a single step backwards. The Trump administration has shown us that we can’t take anything for granted. We must be vigilant and work every day to guarantee women not only have the right to decide what happens to their bodies, but that they are guaranteed fair and equal pay, adequate reproductive health care, justice for survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse, and work environments safe from harassment. This is non-negotiable.

If, how and when to start a family is a deeply personal and complicated decision, and the government has no business dictating those parts of peoples’ private lives. The decision to bring a baby into this world or end a pregnancy is a personal decision and one that should be made by women and their doctors without government interference. I will fight against any attempt by the Trump administration to invade a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions.

We have made a lot of progress over the last century, but we still have a lot of work to do to provide economic security and equity for women. I will be a strong advocate for issues of economic justice like paid sick leave, equal pay for equal work and raising the minimum wage.

Infrastructure

Improving our infrastructure will create jobs and give our community members real opportunities to succeed here at home.

An investment in fixing our crumbling infrastructure is an investment in our people, our communities, and our local businesses. Years of neglect have led to greater wear and tear on vehicles and increased travel times to and from work -- which hinders productivity, hurts small businesses, and robs people of precious time with their families. We need to put the needs of our community first. Investments in our infrastructure now will pay dividends for years to come. Billions of dollars in goods move up and down the I-5 corridor, and we can’t sit around waiting for aging bridges to fail. Congress needs to be proactive and work together to fund critical infrastructure projects like an I-5 Bridge replacement.

Infrastructure development isn’t just about roads and bridges. Southwest Washington will only thrive in today’s economy with robust and wide reaching access to high speed internet. We also need to invest in improving and modernising our utility grid to provide diverse clean renewable energy including wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.

The Opioid Epidemic

According to the CDC, an average of seven people died from drug overdose every hour in 2016. Twenty thousand people alone died last year from Fentanyl overdose (a powerful synthetic opioid), and the problem is only getting worse. Every one of us likely knows at least one person affected by this epidemic. We need to start treating addiction like the disease it is, and not a moral failing. Favoring treatment and diversion strategies instead of prison for offenders saves taxpayers money and decreases relapse and recidivism. Criminalizing and stigmatizing people’s suffering only further separates them from society and deprives them of a chance to recover and be a contributing member of society.

In particular, opiate and meth abuse are tearing rural communities apart and contributing to the struggle of small town economies everywhere. We must provide adequate resources for these communities to address and treat addiction. And, we need to make sure our first responders receive the training and resources they need to reverse an overdose and save a life.

LGBTQIA+

I stand with the LGBTQ community, and believe that our country must continue to guarantee equality for all. We must work together to pass anti-discrimination legislation like the Equality Act to ensure fair employment practices and access to housing. We must continue to defend marriage equality, and guarantee that all people have the right to be with the ones they love. This includes ensuring the right for LGBTQ families to start and build a family.

The safety of LGBTQ youth is important to me. Bullying and harassment in our schools is so widespread that less than a quarter of LGBTQ students report feeling safe in the classroom. The effect of this is that LGBTQ students are five times more likely than their heterosexual peers to have attempted suicide. We have to do better to safeguard vulnerable students and provide safe environments in our schools. We need to continue to work together to further develop our diverse, inclusive community and further champion human rights and dignity for all Americans.

Gun Violence

I support Americans’ 2nd Amendment right to bear arms; however, we must treat the epidemic of gun violence like the public health crisis that it is. We have a duty to seek bipartisan solutions that will have an effective, lasting impact on gun violence. Policies like expanded background checks, funding CDC research into gun violence, and closing the gun show loophole already have wide bipartisan support and we owe the thousands of victims of gun violence action instead of words.

Our Washington is leading the way with sensible gun laws and the other Washington should follow our lead. We are saving lives with laws that temporarily restrict firearms from domestic abusers and those that have been adjudicated mentally ill. Congress needs to take action and enact these kinds of laws at the Federal level.

All too often, the debate on guns focuses only on homicides when, in fact, over 60% of gun deaths are suicides. The research is clear: guns allow people to kill themselves much more easily than other methods. Families need to have the ability to work with law enforcement and mental health professionals to prevent tragedy and save lives.

Environment

The people of Southwest Washington need clean water to drink, clean soil to farm and clean air to breathe. We have been blessed with a pristine corner of this state and we must work hard to be good stewards of it. We must defend common sense regulations that protect our environment and support the restoration of sound policies ended by the current administration.

Climate Change is real and it is a human-caused crisis that requires immediate action. We must work for a just transition to renewable energy sources so future generations will benefit from energy independence and robust clean energy industry. We can protect the natural resources and industries of Southwest Washington by working hard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the board.

The EPA and Department of the Interior are responsible for much of this work, yet this administration has been working to transform both of these vital institutions into ineffectual husks, too understaffed to do much of anything except repeal policies that have been protecting our environment for years. We need to fight back. We need to restore the EPA and the Department of the Interior so that future generations may enjoy the beautiful Southwest Washington we know and love.

Immigration

Our immigration system is broken and all too often draconian and dehumanizing. All immigrants deserve the same respect and dignity that we show to each other. We need an orderly, legal immigration process, not the broken system we have now. People who work hard, pay taxes and contribute to our communities should have a legal path to citizenship.

We need to put an end to the for-profit immigration detention system and put a stop to the militarization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We must reform our immigration system to help reunify families, recruit workers to fill critical gaps in our workforce, and provide refuge for those facing persecution and certain death. ‘Dreamers’ that were brought to this country as children often know no other home, and we should expand and pass a clean DREAM Act to provide them a pathway to citizenship.

We must look for modern, cost-effective solutions that secure our borders without wasting precious taxpayer dollars on useless walls.

National Security & Foreign Policy

Ensuring the safety of the American people is our government’s highest duty, but for too long we’ve put our service members in harm’s way without any clear definition of victory. Never ending interventions have ballooned the Department of Defense budget beyond any semblance of fiscal responsibility. Instead, we should be investing in keeping our country safe here at home. Here in Washington, we need to improve security along the Canadian border and better equip local law enforcement, the Coast Guard, and U.S. Customs to secure our international ports. We must hold Russia accountable for meddling in our elections, and it is imperative that we take immediate and decisive steps to defend against future cyber warfare.

Congress must reassert its authority in the arena of foreign affairs and act as a constitutional check on this President. Our Constitution clearly gives Congress the power to declare war, and the American people have a right to a debate and a vote to decide how and when we go to war. We should strive to exhaust all diplomatic solutions and avoid reckless and destabilizing foreign policy. Being tough isn’t enough; we must be smart and restore relationships with our allies to improve our readiness and capabilities.

Criminal Justice Reform

Our first responders risk their lives for our safety, and I have an immense amount of respect for their sacrifice. We have a duty to guarantee our communities are safe, so we must ensure our local police, firefighters, and EMTs are supported with necessary equipment, adequate training and, full funding.

We must work to rebuild the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Police officers should inspire trust and confidence throughout the community while honorably performing their duty to tackle crime without resorting to unnecessary force. Actions speak louder than words, and we should hold those we entrust to protect and defend our community to appropriate standards.

We should explore restorative justice as a means for offenders to repair the harm caused by their behavior. And after people have served their time and paid their debt to society, we should remove the barriers that prevent them from rejoining society and contributing to their communities. We need to expand reentry programs, and “ban the box,” allowing formerly incarcerated individuals the opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications before being asked about their criminal record by a prospective employer. If we focus on rehabilitation and reintegration, we can create safer communities and reduce recidivism rates.

It should alarm every American that the United States continues to imprison our own people at a rate higher than any other country on Earth. We need to dismantle the “school-to-prison pipeline,” reform our criminal justice system, and end mass incarceration. We need to be better stewards of taxpayers’ money and find ways to rehabilitate and hold accountable nonviolent offenders outside of the already overwhelmed prison system.

Cannabis

The people of Washington have spoken on cannabis and the federal government should respect that decision. Cannabis business owners across Washington are contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue every year, and we should protect them from federal interference. It’s time to lift restrictions on cannabis research so that we can better understand the therapeutic benefits and the risks of long term use.

We should consider industrial hemp production as a means to revitalize small farms and agricultural communities struggling to survive. Due to the negligible THC content, the Department of Agriculture rightfully recognizes that hemp is not a drug, and we should treat it as such. It’s time to expand industrial hemp programs beyond exclusive research programs and put America back to work growing a clean, versatile, and profitable crop.

Affordable Housing

Imagine for a moment being a soldier returning home after a deployment, a senior citizen on a fixed income facing a 25% rent increase, a recent graduate struggling on an ‘entry-level’ salary, or a newly single parent standing at a crossroads. These Americans shouldn’t be forced to live in their cars or on the streets while Congress is too gridlocked to fight for them and ensure access to safe and affordable housing. This isn’t a partisan issue; we must work together to solve this problem. We have a tremendous deficit of affordable housing in Washington, and we need innovative and robust policies to increase the supply of housing. We've made a lot of progress recently, but we need to continue to expand the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund that is already providing hundreds of new affordable housing options in Washington. We must also protect and expand the Low Income Housing Tax Credit that incentivizes developers to build affordable housing.

But this also isn’t only an urban issue. While housing generally costs less in our rural communities, higher poverty rates, fewer employment opportunities, poor quality housing and a lack of access to affordable credit means that rural community members face incredible barriers to purchasing a home. We must shore up the USDA Rural Development Agencies so that we can continue to provide affordable financing options, expand modern utilities to rural communities and find ways to rebuild and reinvigorate rural economic opportunity. USDA loans and grants are vital to our rural communities, and are often the only choice available for low- and moderate-income families hoping to buy or build a home.[8]

Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Republican Party Jaime Herrera Beutler Facebook

Democratic Party Carolyn Long Facebook

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 39 Washington counties—12.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Clallam County, Washington 2.76% 0.38% 3.30%
Cowlitz County, Washington 13.32% 4.44% 11.15%
Grays Harbor County, Washington 6.99% 14.11% 14.56%
Mason County, Washington 5.81% 7.09% 8.66%
Pacific County, Washington 6.74% 11.52% 14.07%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Washington with 52.5 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 36.8 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Washington cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 73.3 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Washington supported Democratic candidates for president more often than Republican candidates, 53.3 to 43.3 percent. The state favored Democrats in every election between 2000 and 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Washington. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[16][17]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 34 out of 49 state House districts in Washington with an average margin of victory of 25.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 30 out of 49 state House districts in Washington with an average margin of victory of 32.1 points.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 15 out of 49 state House districts in Washington with an average margin of victory of 13.9 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 19 out of 49 state House districts in Washington with an average margin of victory of 14.9 points.


District history

2016

See also: Washington's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) defeated Jim Moeller (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Herrera Beutler and Moeller defeated David McDevitt (D), Angela Marx (D), Kathleen Arthur (D), and L.A. Worthington (I) in the top-two primary on August 2, 2016.[18][19]

U.S. House, Washington District 3 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJaime Herrera Beutler Incumbent 61.8% 193,457
     Democratic Jim Moeller 38.2% 119,820
Total Votes 313,277
Source: Washington Secretary of State


U.S. House, Washington District 3 Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJaime Herrera Beutler Incumbent 55.5% 70,142
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJim Moeller 24.4% 30,848
     Democratic David McDevitt 10.2% 12,896
     Democratic Angela Marx 3.8% 4,851
     Democratic Kathleen Arthur 3.4% 4,296
     Independent L.A. Worthington 2.7% 3,402
Total Votes 126,435
Source: Washington Secretary of State

2014

See also: Washington's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014

The 3rd Congressional District of Washington held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) defeated Bob Dingethal (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Washington District 3 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJaime Herrera Beutler Incumbent 61.5% 124,796
     Democratic Bob Dingethal 38.5% 78,018
Total Votes 202,814
Source: Washington Secretary of State


2012

The 3rd Congressional District of Washington held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler won re-election in the district.[20]

U.S. House, Washington District 3 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJaime Herrera Beutler Incumbent 60.4% 177,446
     Democratic Jon T. Haugen 39.6% 116,438
Total Votes 293,884
Source: Washington Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Jaime Herrera won election to the United States House. She defeated Denny Heck (D) in the general election.[21]

U.S. House, Washington District 3 General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJaime Herrera 53% 152,799
     Democratic Denny Heck 47% 135,654
Total Votes 288,453

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Washington heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Democrats controlled both chambers of the Washington State Legislature. They had a 50-48 majority in the state House and a 26-23 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • Washington was a Democratic trifecta, meaning that the Democrats controlled the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate.

2018 elections

See also: Washington elections, 2018

Washington held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Washington
 WashingtonU.S.
Total population:7,160,290316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):66,4563,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:77.8%73.6%
Black/African American:3.6%12.6%
Asian:7.7%5.1%
Native American:1.3%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.6%0.2%
Two or more:5.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:12%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:90.4%86.7%
College graduation rate:32.9%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$61,062$53,889
Persons below poverty level:14.4%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Washington.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Washington's three largest cities were Seattle (pop. est. 724,745), Spokane (pop. est. 217,108), and Tacoma (pop. est. 213,418).[22][23]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Washington from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Washington Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Washington every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Washington 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 54.3% Republican Party Donald Trump 38.1% 16.2%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 51.2% Republican Party Mitt Romney 41.2% 10.0%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 57.6% Republican Party John McCain 40.5% 17.1%
2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 52.8% Republican Party George W. Bush 45.6% 7.2%
2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 50.2% Republican Party George W. Bush 44.6% 5.8%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Washington from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Washington 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Patty Murray 59.0% Republican Party Chris Vance 40.1% 18.9%
2012 Democratic Party Maria Cantwell 60.4% Republican Party Michael Baumgartner 39.5% 20.9%
2010 Democratic Party Patty Murray 52.4% Republican Party Dino Rossi 47.6% 4.8%
2006 Democratic Party Maria Cantwell 56.9% Republican Party Michael McGavick 39.9% 17.0%
2004 Democratic Party Patty Murray 55.0% Republican Party George R. Nethercutt, Jr. 44.7% 10.3%
2000 Democratic Party Maria Cantwell 48.7% Republican Party Slade Gorton 48.6% 0.1%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Washington.

Election results (Governor), Washington 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Jay Inslee 54.4% Republican Party Bill Bryant 45.6% 8.8%
2012 Democratic Party Jay Inslee 51.5% Republican Party Rob McKenna 48.6% 0.9%
2008 Democratic Party Christine Gregoire 53.2% Republican Party Dino Rossi 46.8% 6.4%
2004 Democratic Party Christine Gregoire 48.9% Republican Party Dino Rossi 48.9% 0.0%
2000 Democratic Party Gary Locke 58.4% Republican Party John Carlson 39.7% 7.1%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Washington in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Washington 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 4 40% Democratic Party 6 60% D+2
2014 Republican Party 4 40% Democratic Party 6 60% D+2
2012 Republican Party 4 44.4% Democratic Party 5 55.5% D+1
2010 Republican Party 4 44.4% Democratic Party 5 55.5% D+1
2008 Republican Party 3 33.3% Democratic Party 6 66.7% D+2
2006 Republican Party 3 33.3% Democratic Party 6 66.7% D+2
2004 Republican Party 3 33.3% Democratic Party 6 66.7% D+2
2002 Republican Party 3 33.3% Democratic Party 6 66.7% D+2
2000 Republican Party 3 33.3% Democratic Party 6 66.7% D+2

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Washington Party Control: 1992-2024
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Governor D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate R D D D D R R D D D D R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R[24] D D D D D D D
House D D D R R R R S S S D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ DCCC, "House Democrats Playing Offense," January 30, 2017
  2. ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "HERRERA BEUTLER, Jaime, (1978 - )"
  3. ↑ Jaime Herrera Beutler 2018 campaign website, "About," accessed September 25, 2018
  4. ↑ Jaime Herrera Beutler 2018 campaign website, "Accomplishments," accessed September 25, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jaime Herrera Beutler 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 25, 2018
  6. ↑ Carolyn Long 2018 campaign website, "About Carolyn," accessed September 25, 2018
  7. ↑ Carolyn Long 2018 campaign website, "Home," accessed September 25, 2018
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Carolyn Long 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 25, 2018
  9. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  10. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  11. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  12. ↑ McClatchy DC Bureau, "National money pouring into Washington as Democrats make push for once-overlooked seat," October 26, 2018
  13. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Independent Expenditures," accessed October 26, 2018
  14. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  15. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  16. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  17. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  18. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Unofficial List of Candidates in Ballot Order," accessed May 23, 2016
  19. ↑ Politico, "Washington House Primaries Results," August 2, 2016
  20. ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Washington"
  21. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
  22. ↑ Washington Demographics, "Washington Cities by Population," accessed December 11, 2017
  23. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Washington," accessed December 11, 2017
  24. ↑ Democrats gained full control of the state Senate after a special election on November 7, 2017.
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