Washington's 8th congressional district
Encyclopedia
Washington's 8th congressional district includes most of the region known as the Eastside
and the mostly rural eastern parts of King
and Pierce
counties. It is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Republican Dave Reichert
.
Since its creation after the 1980 U.S. Census
, the 8th District has been the only Republican bastion west of the Cascade Mountains; it has never elected a Democrat to the U.S. Congress. In recent years, however, the changing demographics of the Puget Sound
region have made the 8th District significantly less Republican, and Democrats now have a slight edge in registration. However, the district is still thought to have a Republican tilt due to the combination of affluent suburban areas, exurban communities, and a sizable Mormon population gives this district a slight GOP edge. This district could be compared to Illinois's 10th congressional district or Connecticut's 4th congressional district
in terms of voting patterns.
Voters in the district narrowly favored Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore
in 2000 and John Kerry
in 2004, and favoring Democrat Barack Obama
by almost 15 points over Republican John McCain
in the 2008 presidential election. In the most recent congressional race (2010), Reichert kept his seat, beating Democrat Suzan DelBene
.
by 52% to 48%, a surprisingly small margin, in the race to replace 12-year incumbent Jennifer Dunn
; that year, voters in the district favored Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry
. 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." 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 incumbent
s around the country.
In the end, Reichert won reelection, defeating Burner by just 7,341 votes out of more than 250,000 cast. 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 ballot
s.
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' 15-point margin in the district.
In 2010, Republican Dave Reichert
and Democrat Suzan DelBene
advanced out of the Washington State Top 2 Primaries with 47.2% and 26.9% of the vote, respectively. The remaining votes went to Democrat Tom Cramer (9.5%), Republican Ernest Huber (5.8%), Republican Tim Dillon (5.1%) and 4 others garnering less than 2.5% each. Reichert prevailed over DelBene in the General Election by a vote of 52.1% to 47.9%. In this election, Reichert won both King and Pierce counties.
Eastside (King County, Washington)
File:Seattle-lakewashington-lakesammamish.PNG|250px|right|The Eastside is to the right of Seattle.# rough city boundariespoly 137 256 148 256 158 194 172 179 172 237 212 266 133 266Renton...
and the mostly rural eastern parts of King
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
and Pierce
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
counties. It is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Republican Dave Reichert
Dave Reichert
David George Reichert is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as Sheriff of King County, Washington.-Early life, education and career:...
.
Since its creation after the 1980 U.S. Census
United States Census, 1980
The Twentieth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4 percent over the 203,184,772 persons enumerated during the 1970 Census.-Census questions:...
, the 8th District has been the only Republican bastion west of the Cascade Mountains; it has never elected a Democrat to the U.S. Congress. In recent years, however, the changing demographics of the Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
region have made the 8th District significantly less Republican, and Democrats now have a slight edge in registration. However, the district is still thought to have a Republican tilt due to the combination of affluent suburban areas, exurban communities, and a sizable Mormon population gives this district a slight GOP edge. This district could be compared to Illinois's 10th congressional district or Connecticut's 4th congressional district
Connecticut's 4th congressional district
Connecticut's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the southwestern part of the state, the district is largely suburban and consists of Bridgeport, the largest city in the state, and Stamford....
in terms of voting patterns.
Voters in the district narrowly favored Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
in 2000 and John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
in 2004, and favoring Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
by almost 15 points over Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
in the 2008 presidential election. In the most recent congressional race (2010), Reichert kept his seat, beating Democrat Suzan DelBene
Suzan DelBene
Suzan Kay DelBene was the 2010 Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative for , but was defeated by incumbent Republican Dave Reichert.-Early life and education:...
.
Recent history
In 2004, Reichert, at the time serving as the sheriff of King County, beat his Democratic opponent Dave RossDave Ross
Dave Ross is a talk show host on Seattle's KIRO-FM radio station, with whom he had been a news anchor from 1978 until his talk show started nine years later in 1987. He has sometimes broadcast his show while on assignment in other locations, including overseas, such as Baghdad, Iraq in April...
by 52% to 48%, a surprisingly small margin, in the race to replace 12-year incumbent Jennifer Dunn
Jennifer Dunn
Jennifer Blackburn Dunn was a prominent Republican member of the United States House of Representatives 1993–2005, representing .-Early life:...
; that year, voters in the district favored Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
. Responding to Reichert's perceived vulnerability, former Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
program manager Darcy Burner
Darcy Burner
Darcy Gibbons Burner is a Democrat from Carnation, Washington. She was a candidate for in 2006 and 2008, but lost to incumbent Dave Reichert in both elections. She worked for twelve years in high technology including five years at Microsoft as a Marketing Manager, working on .NET...
(D) challenged Rep. Reichert in 2006, in what was widely expected to be a close election. Influential election analyst Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook , originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, is an American political analyst who specializes in election forecasts and political trends. He attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He delivers election forecasts and rankings in his own publication, The Cook Political Report,...
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." Burner was one of 22 House challengers selected by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
(DCCC) for fundraising assistance with its "Red to Blue" program, aimed at unseating vulnerable Republican incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
s around the country.
In the end, Reichert won reelection, defeating Burner by just 7,341 votes out of more than 250,000 cast. 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 ballot
Absentee ballot
An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station. Numerous methods have been devised to facilitate this...
s.
In the 2008 election
United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2008
The 2008 congressional elections in Washington was held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Washington in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009...
, 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' 15-point margin in the district.
In 2010, Republican Dave Reichert
Dave Reichert
David George Reichert is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as Sheriff of King County, Washington.-Early life, education and career:...
and Democrat Suzan DelBene
Suzan DelBene
Suzan Kay DelBene was the 2010 Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative for , but was defeated by incumbent Republican Dave Reichert.-Early life and education:...
advanced out of the Washington State Top 2 Primaries with 47.2% and 26.9% of the vote, respectively. The remaining votes went to Democrat Tom Cramer (9.5%), Republican Ernest Huber (5.8%), Republican Tim Dillon (5.1%) and 4 others garnering less than 2.5% each. Reichert prevailed over DelBene in the General Election by a vote of 52.1% to 47.9%. In this election, Reichert won both King and Pierce counties.
List of representatives
| Representative | Party | Term | District Home | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created | January 3, 1983 | |||
| Rod Chandler Rod Chandler Rodney Dennis "Rod" Chandler was a U.S. Representative from Washington. He is the great-great-grandnephew of long-time U.S. Senator Zachariah Chandler of Michigan.... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 | ||
| Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Blackburn Dunn was a prominent Republican member of the United States House of Representatives 1993–2005, representing .-Early life:... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2005 | ||
| Dave Reichert Dave Reichert David George Reichert is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as Sheriff of King County, Washington.-Early life, education and career:... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
January 3, 2005 – present | Incumbent Incumbent The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W... |
|
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2008United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2008The 2008 congressional elections in Washington was held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Washington in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009...
- United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2010United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2010The United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2010 was held on November 2, 2010, to determine who will represent the state of Washington in the United States House of Representatives...