Washington's 8th congressional district is a district for the United States House of Representatives located in western Washington State. It includes the eastern portions of King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, and crosses the Cascade mountains to include Chelan and Kittitas counties. The district's western part includes the exurban communities of Sammamish, Issaquah, and Maple Valley but does not include Seattle and Tacoma's more immediate suburbs. On its east side, the 8th's population centers include the rural communities Wenatchee, Leavenworth, and Ellensburg.[4] It is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Democrat Kim Schrier, who was first elected to the seat in 2018.
The 8th district was created after redistricting cycle after the 1980 census. For its first 30 years, it was centered on the Eastside region of the Seattle metropolitan area. After the 2010 U.S. census, the state responded to population changes by shifting much of the Eastside to the 9th district. To make up for the loss in population, areas east of the Cascades were shifted to the 8th district.
For the first 35 years of its existence, the 8th district was held by a Republican. It was located in an area that was historically the most Republican portion of the Seattle area. However, it was swept up in the larger Democratic trend in the Pacific Northwest since the 1990s, and has supported the Democratic nominee in every presidential election since 1992. Prior to the 2011 redistricting, the district had the peculiarity of having a Democratic advantage according to its Cook PVI, but only having elected Republicans to Congress throughout its history. After the district was pushed east of the Cascades with the 2010 redistricting, its PVI became even. The GOP winning streak ended with the 2018 election.
Recent election results
2004
In 2004, Dave Reichert, at the time serving as the sheriff of King County, beat his Democratic opponent Dave Ross by 52% to 48% in the race to replace 12-year incumbent Jennifer Dunn; that year, voters in the district favored Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
Washington's 8th congressional district election, 2004)
Responding to Reichert's perceived vulnerability, former Microsoft program manager Darcy Burner (D) challenged Rep. Reichert in 2006, in what was widely expected to be a close election. Influential election analyst Charlie Cook listed the contest among 68 competitive or potentially competitive House races to watch in 2006, categorizing it as a "toss-up" (defined as "the most competitive; Either party has a good chance of winning").[5] Burner was one of 22 House challengers selected by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) for fundraising assistance with its "Red to Blue" program, aimed at unseating vulnerable Republican incumbents around the country.[6]
In the end, Reichert won re-election, defeating Burner by just 7,341 votes out of more than 250,000 cast.[7] The outcome of the race was not decided for almost a week after the election, as severe flooding in the eastern part of the district delayed the counting of absentee ballots.[8]
Washington's 8th congressional district election, 2006)
In the 2008 election, Reichert faced Burner again in a rematch that many election watchers again described as one of the nation's hottest contests. This time, Reichert defeated Burner 53 percent to 47 percent, a solid victory despite Barack Obama's 15-point margin in the district.
Washington's 8th congressional district primary election, August 19, 2008[9]
Washington's 8th congressional district general election, November 4, 2008[10]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Dave Reichert
191,568
52.78%
Democratic
Darcy Burner
171,358
47.22%
Total votes
362,926
100%
2010
In the 2010 election, Reichert and Democrat Suzan DelBene advanced out of the Washington State Top 2 Primaries with 47.2% and 26.9% of the vote, respectively. Reichert prevailed over DelBene in the General Election 52.1% to 47.9%. In this election, Reichert won both King and Pierce counties even after losing some key endorsements, including the Seattle Times, which endorsed Suzan DelBene and Tim Dillon in the primaries.[11][12]
Washington's 8th congressional district primary election, August 17, 2010[13]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Dave Reichert (incumbent)
76,118
47.23
Democratic
Suzan DelBene
43,272
26.85
Democratic
Tom Cramer
15,313
9.50
Republican
Ernest Huber
9,376
5.82
Republican
Tim Dillon
8,291
5.14
Democratic
Keith Arnold
3,405
2.11
Independent
Robin Adair
2,648
1.64
Democratic
Boleslaw (John) Orlinski
1,761
1.09
Independent
Caleb Love Mardini
987
0.61
Total votes
161,171
100.00
Washington's 8th congressional district general election, November 2, 2010
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Dave Reichert (incumbent)
161,296
52.05
Democratic
Suzan DelBene
148,581
47.95
Total votes
309,877
100.00
2012
In the 2012 election, Reichert ran against Democrat Karen Porterfield, Associate Dean and Public Administration Lecturer at Seattle University. James Windle of Snoqualmie Pass also ran against Reichert as an independent candidate, but dropped out of the race in August 2012.[14]
Washington 8th Congressional District - 6 November 2012
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Dave Reichert (Incumbent)
180,204
59.7
Democratic
Karen Porterfield
121,886
40.3
Total votes
302,090
100.0
2014
In the 2014 election, Reichert defeated Democrat Jason Ritchie, a small business owner from Issaquah.
Washington's 8th congressional district primary election, August 5, 2014
In the 2016 election, Reichert defeated Democrat Tony Ventrella, a former sportscaster. Ventrella did not think he would beat the other candidates in the field and dropped out in July 2016 only to finish second overall and restart his campaign in the general election.[15]
Washington's 8th congressional district primary election, August 2nd, 2016
Reichert announced in September 2017 that he would not seek re-election.[16] Former State Senator and gubernatorial nominee Dino Rossi advanced from the top-two primary alongside pediatrician Kim Schrier.[17] In the general election, Schrier defeated Rossi with 52% of the vote to become the first Democrat to represent the district.[18]
Washington's 8th congressional district primary election, August 7, 2018
^"The Seattle Times | Local news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, travel, restaurants and opinion for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest". www.seattletimes.com.
^Garber, Andrew (May 18, 2012). "Final filing day in state offers wealth of choices". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
^Orenstein, Walker. "Ex-sports anchor Tony Ventrella drops out of congressional race". Retrieved August 14, 2018.
^Weigel, David (September 6, 2017). "Dave Reichert, a swing seat Republican, will retire from the House". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
^Brunner, Jim (August 13, 2018). "Kim Schrier edges out Jason Rittereiser to face Dino Rossi in 8th Congressional District". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
^Brunner, Jim (November 7, 2018). "Dino Rossi concedes 8th District race to Kim Schrier as new votes widen her lead". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
^ ab"November 3, 2020 General Election Results". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
^"August 2, 2022 Primary Results - CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 8". Secretary of State of Washington. August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
^"November 8, 2022 General Election Results - CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 8". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
^"Late Bellevue Congresswoman Dunn Honored by Son in County DVT Awareness Month Proclamation". Bellevue, WA Patch. March 22, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2016. Jennifer Dunn, who lived in Bellevue, represented Washington's 8th District in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2004.
Sources
Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
External links
Washington State Redistricting Commission
Find your new congressional district: a searchable map, Seattle Times, January 13, 2012