Washington's 9th Congressional District

Washington's 9th Congressional District

Incumbent

D. Adam Smith

Assumed office: January 3, 1997

Washington's 9th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives is represented by D. Adam Smith (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Washington representatives represented an average of 771,595 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 675,337 residents.

Elections

2024

See also: Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2024

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

General election

General election for U.S. House Washington District 9

Incumbent D. Adam Smith defeated Melissa Chaudhry in the general election for U.S. House Washington District 9 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Adam Smith (D)	65.4	182,780
		Melissa Chaudhry (D)	32.4	90,601
		Other/Write-in votes	2.1	5,917

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 279,298
= 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 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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2022

See also: Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Washington District 9

Incumbent D. Adam Smith defeated Douglas Michael Basler in the general election for U.S. House Washington District 9 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Adam Smith (D)	71.6	171,746
		Douglas Michael Basler (R)	28.2	67,631
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	471

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 239,848
= 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 9

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 9 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Adam Smith (D)	55.2	78,272
✔		Douglas Michael Basler (R)	20.6	29,144
		Stephanie Gallardo (D)	15.9	22,531
	Submit photo	Sea Chan (R)	3.8	5,338
		Seth Pedersen (R)	3.4	4,781
	Submit photo	David Michael Anderson (Independent)	1.1	1,541
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	153

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 141,760
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Amelia Paz (D)
• David Ishii (D)
• Krystal Marx (D)

2020

See also: Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Washington District 9

Incumbent D. Adam Smith defeated Douglas Michael Basler in the general election for U.S. House Washington District 9 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Adam Smith (D)	74.1	258,771
		Douglas Michael Basler (R)	25.7	89,697
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	582

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 349,050
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 9

Incumbent D. Adam Smith and Douglas Michael Basler defeated Joshua Campbell and Jorge Besada in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 9 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Adam Smith (D)	73.6	145,601
✔		Douglas Michael Basler (R)	15.6	30,923
	Submit photo	Joshua Campbell (R)	8.1	15,983
	Submit photo	Jorge Besada (L)	2.4	4,792
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	560

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 197,859
= 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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2018

See also: Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Washington District 9

Incumbent D. Adam Smith defeated Sarah Smith in the general election for U.S. House Washington District 9 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Adam Smith (D)	67.9	163,345
		Sarah Smith (D)	32.1	77,222

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 240,567
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 9

Incumbent D. Adam Smith and Sarah Smith defeated Douglas Michael Basler in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 9 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Adam Smith (D)	48.4	71,035
✔		Sarah Smith (D)	26.9	39,409
		Douglas Michael Basler (R)	24.7	36,254

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 146,698
= 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.

2016

See also: Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Adam Smith (D) defeated Doug Basler (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Smith and Basler defeated Jesse Wineberry (D), Daniel Smith (D), and Jeary Flener (I) in the top-two primary on August 2, 2016.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith Incumbent	72.9%	205,165
	Republican	Doug Basler	27.1%	76,317
Total Votes				281,482
Source: Washington Secretary of State

U.S. House, Washington District 9 Primary, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith Incumbent	56.3%	67,100
	Republican	Doug Basler	23.4%	27,848
	Democratic	Jesse Wineberry	14.8%	17,613
	Democratic	Daniel Smith	3.3%	3,935
	Independent	Jeary Flener	2.3%	2,733
Total Votes				119,229
Source: Washington Secretary of State

2014

See also: Washington's 9th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 9th Congressional District of Washington held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Adam Smith (D) defeated Doug Basler (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith Incumbent	70.8%	118,132
	Republican	Doug Basler	29.2%	48,662
Total Votes				166,794
Source: Washington Secretary of State

2012

See also: Washington's 9th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 9th Congressional District of Washington held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Adam Smith won re-election in the district.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith Incumbent	71.6%	192,034
	Republican	Jim Postma	28.4%	76,105
Total Votes				268,139
Source: Washington Secretary of State, "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010
On November 2, 2010, Adam Smith won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Richard (Dick) Muri (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith incumbent	54.9%	123,743
	Republican	Richard (Dick) Muri	45.1%	101,851
Total Votes				225,594

2008
On November 4, 2008, Adam Smith won re-election to the United States House. He defeated James Postma (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith incumbent	65.4%	176,295
	Republican	James Postma	34.6%	93,080
Total Votes				269,375

2006
On November 7, 2006, Adam Smith won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Steven C. Cofchin (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith incumbent	65.7%	119,038
	Republican	Steven C. Cofchin	34.3%	62,082
Total Votes				181,120

2004
On November 2, 2004, Adam Smith won to the United States House. He defeated Paul J. Lord (R) and Robert F. Losey (G) in the general election.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith incumbent	63.3%	162,433
	Republican	Paul J. Lord	34.4%	88,304
	Green	Robert F. Losey	2.3%	5,934
Total Votes				256,671

2002
On November 5, 2002, Adam Smith won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Sarah Casada (R) and J. Mills (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith incumbent	58.5%	95,805
	Republican	Sarah Casada	38.6%	63,146
	Libertarian	J. Mills	2.9%	4,759
Total Votes				163,710

2000
On November 7, 2000, Adam Smith won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Chris Vance (R) and Jonathan V. Wright (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Washington District 9 General Election, 2000
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Adam Smith incumbent	61.7%	135,452
	Republican	Chris Vance	35%	76,766
	Libertarian	Jonathan V. Wright	3.4%	7,405
Total Votes				219,623

Redistricting

2020-2021

See also: Redistricting in Washington after the 2020 census

The Washington House approved a final congressional map proposal 88-7 on February 2, 2022, and the Senate approved the congressional plan on February 8, 2022, in a 35-14 vote. Washington’s four redistricting commissioners each released their proposed congressional maps on September 28, 2021. On November 16, 2021, the commission announced that it was not able to produce new maps by its November 15 deadline and had submitted plans to the Washington Supreme Court for consideration, as authority to draw new maps passes to the court if the commission fails to agree on maps before the deadline. The court decided to accept the final map drafts the commission submitted, ruling that it had "substantially complied" with the deadline. This map took effect for Washington's 2022 congressional elections.

How does redistricting in Washington work? In Washington, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by a five-member non-politician commission. The commission was established by constitutional amendment in 1983. The majority and minority leaders of the Washington State Senate and Washington House of Representatives each appoint one registered voter to the commission. These four commissioners appoint a fifth, non-voting member to serve as the commission's chair. In the event that the four voting commissioners cannot agree on a chair, the Washington Supreme Court must appoint one.

The Washington Constitution stipulates that no commission member may have been an elected official or party officer in the two-year period prior to his or her appointment. Individuals who have registered with the state as lobbyists within the past year are also prohibited from serving on the commission.

The Washington State Legislature may amend the commission's maps by a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber.

The state constitution requires that congressional and state legislative districts "should be contiguous, compact, and convenient, and follow natural, geographic, artificial, or political subdivision boundaries." The constitution states that the redistricting commission "must not purposely draw plans to favor or discriminate against any political party or group."

State statutes require that congressional and state legislative districts "preserve areas recognized as communities of interest." State statutes also require the commission to draw districts that "provide fair and effective representation" and "encourage electoral competition."

Washington District 9
until January 2, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Washington District 9
starting January 3, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

2010-2011

This is the 9th Congressional District of Washington after the 2001 redistricting process.

See also: Redistricting in Washington after the 2010 census

In 2011, the Washington State Legislature re-drew the congressional districts based on updated population information from the 2010 census.

District analysis

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

See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

2026

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+22. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 22 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Washington's 9th the 45th most Democratic district nationally.

2024

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.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 71.5%-26.3%.

2022

Heading into the 2022 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.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 71.5% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 26.3%.

2018

Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 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 Congressional District the 62nd most Democratic nationally.

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 0.87. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.87 points toward that party.

See also

• Redistricting in Washington
• Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2024
• Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2022
• Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2020
• Washington's 9th Congressional District election, 2018

External links

• GovTrack District 9

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)