Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 top-two primary)

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Washington's 9th Congressional District
Top-two primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 10, 2024
Primary: August 6, 2024 General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m. Voting in Washington
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Washington's 9th Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th Washington elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

A top-two primary took place on August 6, 2024, in Washington's 9th Congressional District to determine which two candidates would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Incumbent D. Adam Smith and Melissa Chaudhry advanced from the primary for U.S. House Washington District 9.

Candidate filing deadline	Primary election	General election
May 10, 2024	August 6, 2024	November 5, 2024

Washington uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, for congressional and state-level elections. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Washington's 9th Congressional District's top-two primary. For more in-depth information on the district's general election, see the following page:

• Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2024

Candidates and election results

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 9

Incumbent D. Adam Smith and Melissa Chaudhry defeated Paul Martin, C. Mark Greene, and David Ishii in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 9 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Adam Smith (D)	53.8	78,761
✔		Melissa Chaudhry (D)	20.7	30,229
		Paul Martin (R)	18.2	26,646
		C. Mark Greene (R)	6.5	9,459
		David Ishii (Bipartisan Party)	0.7	963
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	248

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 146,306
= 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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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Melissa Chaudhry

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am running for Congress in WA’s most richly diverse district – still Represented by a career politician who does not reflect the majority of his constituents. My campaign is built on pillars of justice, sustainability, and community empowerment, addressing the urgent needs of our communities. I bring a unique blend of local involvement and global experience, and bring wide experience in innovative solutions and frontline challenges that gives me the ability to lead us into the future. I believe that America must lead by example, not force—using our influence abroad to advocate for peace, strengthen human rights, prioritize diplomacy, and de-emphasize military force, as America transitions from a position of global dominance to one of cooperative and responsible participation in the international community. My husband is an Honorable, disabled US Army veteran – with our baby daughter, we are a BIPOC family. Issues such as immigrant rights, housing, healthcare, and education, are personal to me. I believe that a term of service in Congress should never be used to further the aims of a foreign country or line the pockets of mega-corporations who profit from never ending wars. I’ve been an activist for peace since childhood and will meaningfully represent our shared American values of peace, equality, liberty, and justice for all. I am here to ask for your support, to help bring transformative change to our district and our country, and ensure that every voice is truly heard."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Foreign Policy and Human Rights: I hold a principled stance against war crimes and violations of international law, especially regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. America has a duty to stand against oppression and use our influence to support the human rights of all people.

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Grassroots Engagement and Representation: My campaign is powered by grassroots support. I do not take money from defense contractors or AIPAC-aligned entities. I am not beholden to high-stake donors and so I’m capable of genuinely representing the people of CD9 in all our beautiful, rich diversity.

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Inclusivity and Social Justice: I am committed to social justice, inclusivity, and equal rights for all, drawing on my background as a female candidate from an immigrant Muslim family with a deep history of community service. My platform includes strong stances on immigration, veterans' affairs, and human rights, both domestically and internationally.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Washington District 9 in 2024.

C. Mark Greene

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am a blogger/writer, a legal assistant and a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. My run for Congress is focused on a few basic desires by the Ninth District of Washington, safe streets, good, traditional education for the youth of America, secure borders, staying out of foreign entanglements and wars, and a robust economy"

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Reduce National Debt, Rationally: Get rid of useless departments and agencies, e.g., the Department of Education, cut spending by 3% across the board except Social Security, and thereafter 1.5% annually until the budget is balanced.

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Pro-Life and General Social Policy: Traditional social policies. Pro-life. Help fund pregnancy counseling centers. National abortion ban with critical health exceptions. General anti-interventionist. Stay out of wars and proxy wars. Rethink alliances (doesn't necessarily mean get out of them).

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Heed 1st President Washington's Admonishment to the Nation: Stay out of foreign entanglements. To Mark, that means virtually no foreign aid to various countries. Significantly hollow-out foreign aid by at least two-thirds. Use the savings to help balance the budget. Mark would vote against any and all crazy wars, and hold any president, no matter the name or the party, to the Constitution that says Congress must have the ultimate say in such matters, and the will of the people must be done.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Washington District 9 in 2024.

Paul Martin

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I have lived in District 9 for 24 years and in Washington State nearly my whole life. My opponent has been the incumbent for 28 years, far too long as you may agree if you favor more new faces in Washington DC. As shown by my work experience, except for occasional work in the trades, I’ve had a full career in computer science. A lot of complex problem solving is involved, a skill which I can transfer to our government: a place that needs people of all backgrounds, not just another lawyer. On the November ballot you’ll see some popular initiatives expected to pass. They were crafted by common sense Republicans to reverse some misguided laws from the current majority. I will strive to apply similar common sense so the public doesn’t have to reverse what government has done. I respectfully ask for your vote."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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From a full career in Puget Sound’s high-tech industry, candidate Paul Martin promises to solve problems, bring new ideas and restore common sense in Washington DC. His main goal will be to grow the economy in ways that are beneficial to the middle class. The easiest step in this process is to return to energy independence and return to being the world's biggest energy exporter. We should release the constraints applied by the current administration and return to an “all-of-the-above” energy policy. At the same time, we encourage environmental watchdog charities, environmental investigative journalism, and free market consequences for notable environmental offenders.

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Close the border and stop giving free stuff to people who cheated to get here. There should be no more free phones, free healthcare, free housing, free legal services, free school, free EBT cards or free petty cash debit cards. We should finish building the wall and encourage executive or Congressional action so want-to-be immigrants at points-of-entry, or wall jumpers, cannot claim refugee status at a nearly 100% rate. We need to return to a policy where those requesting asylum or refugee status must wait outside our country while their cases are adjudicated. Attempts to wait inside the country should lead to automatic case dismissal. Once the borders are under control, we’ll be better situated to welcome and promote legal immigrants.

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Reduce Inflation and Stop the Reckless Money Printing We are perilously close to hyperinflation and defaulting on the national debt, with debt service interest payments now over $1 trillion per quarter. I will never say "reduce the deficit" as a linguistic trick, as the current administration does, when only a reduction in the rate of deficit growth is the truth behind their statement. A booming economy is the preferred method for increased revenue. My mantra will be cut spending, raise revenue, and cut spending more. In this deficit situation, I will not turn into a congressman who is good at getting earmarks added to the federal budget for local pet projects.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Washington District 9 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Washington

Election information in Washington: Aug. 6, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 6, 2024
• By mail: Received by July 29, 2024
• Online: July 29, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: N/A
• By mail: N/A by N/A
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 6, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Aug. 6, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

July 19, 2024 to Aug. 6, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
D. Adam Smith	Democratic Party	$1,677,916	$1,701,114	$570,753	As of December 31, 2024
Melissa Chaudhry	Democratic Party	$227,468	$108,983	$118,484	As of December 31, 2024
C. Mark Greene	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Paul Martin	Republican Party	$1,825	$1,161	$664	As of July 17, 2024
David Ishii	Bipartisan Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Washington.

Washington U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested top-two primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	10	10	2	62	10	10	100.0%	8	100.0%
2022	10	10	0	68	10	10	100.0%	10	100.0%
2020	10	10	1	73	10	10	100.0%	9	100.0%
2018	10	10	1	49	10	8	80.0%	7	77.8%
2016	10	10	1	56	10	10	100.0%	9	100.0%
2014	10	10	1	49	10	10	100.0%	9	100.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Washington in 2024. Information below was calculated on June 4, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Sixty-two candidates ran for Washington’s 10 U.S. House districts, including 26 Democrats, 25 Republicans, three Independents, and eight non-major party candidates. That’s an average of 6.2 candidates per district. That’s lower than the 6.8 candidates per district in 2022 and the 7.3 in 2020.

The 5th and 6th Congressional Districts were open in 2024, meaning no incumbents ran for re-election. That’s the most open districts in an election cycle this decade.

Incumbent Reps. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-05) and Derek Kilmer (D-06) did not run for re-election because they retired from public office.

Eleven candidates—five Democrats and six Republicans—ran for the open 5th Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a seat in Washington in 2024.

All 10 primaries were contested in 2024. Between 2022 and 2014, an average of 9.6 primaries were contested per year.

Eight incumbents—seven Democrats and one Republican—were in contested primaries in 2024. Between 2022 and 2014, an average of 8.8 incumbents were in contested primaries per year.

No districts were guaranteed to either party because Democratic and Republican candidates filed to run in all 10 districts. Washington utilizes a top-two primary system. In a top-two primary system, all candidates are listed on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+21. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 21 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Washington's 9th the 59th most Democratic district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Washington's 9th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
71.5%	26.3%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district. The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
68.3	31.1	R+37.3

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Washington, 2020

Washington presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 17 Democratic wins
• 13 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	P	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also: Party control of Washington state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Washington's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Washington
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	8	10
Republican	0	2	2
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	10	12

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Washington's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Washington, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jay Inslee
Lieutenant Governor	Denny Heck
Secretary of State	Steve Hobbs
Attorney General	Bob Ferguson

State legislature

Washington State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	29
	Republican Party	20
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		49

Washington House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	58
	Republican Party	40
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		98

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

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	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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Washington in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Washington	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified candidates	1,740	$1,740.00	5/10/2024	Source
Washington	U.S. House	Unaffiliated candidates	1,000	N/A	8/2/2024	Source

See also

• Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2024
• United States House elections in Washington, 2024 (August 6 top-two primaries)
• United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
• U.S. House battlegrounds, 2024

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Washington's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Maria Cantwell (D)

Patty Murray (D)

Representatives

District 1

Suzan DelBene (D)

District 2

Rick Larsen (D)

District 3

Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez (D)

District 4

Dan Newhouse (R)

District 5

Michael Baumgartner (R)

District 6

Emily Randall (D)

District 7

Pramila Jayapal (D)

District 8

Kim Schrier (D)

District 9

D. Adam Smith (D)

District 10

Marilyn Strickland (D)

Democratic Party (10)

Republican Party (2)

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