Washington's 8th congressional district

"WA-8" redirects here. WA-8 may also refer to Washington State Route 8.
Washington's 8th congressional district
Current Representative Dave Reichert (R)
Distribution
  • % urban
  • % rural
Population (2000) 654,905
Median income 63,854
Ethnicity
Occupation
Cook PVI R+2[1]

Washington's 8th congressional district included most of the region known as the Eastside and the mostly rural eastern parts of King and Pierce counties prior to 2010 redistricting. It is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Republican Dave Reichert. The state redistricting in response to population changes determined by the 2010 census shifts much of the "Eastside" portions of what was District 8 to District 9, and adds regions east of the Cascades to District 8. (Map at right is after redistricting)

Since its creation after the 1980 U.S. Census, the 8th District has been the only Republican bastion west of the Cascade Mountains. Before 2010 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. The District's PVI is now slightly Republican after redistricting and the GOP winning streak is still active as of after the 2012 elections. This district could be compared to Illinois's 10th congressional district or Connecticut's 4th congressional district in terms of voting patterns.[2]

Voters in the district narrowly favored Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, and favored Democrat Barack Obama by almost 15 points over Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.[3]

The district from 2003 to 2013

Recent history

In 2004, Reichert, at the time serving as the sheriff of King County, beat his Democratic opponent Dave Ross 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."[4] 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.[5]

In the end, Reichert won reelection, defeating Burner by just 7,341 votes out of more than 250,000 cast.[6] 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.[7]

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 even after losing some key endorsements including The Seattle Times which endorsed Suzan DelBene and Tim Dillon in the primaries.[8] [9]

In the 2012 race, Dave 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.[10]

Voting

Election results from presidential races
Year Office Results
2012 President Obama 50 - 48%
2008 President Obama 57 - 42%
2004 President Kerry 51 - 48%
2000 President Gore 49 - 47%
1996 President Clinton 47 - 41%
1992 President Clinton 38 - 34%
1988 President Bush 56 - 43%
1984 President Reagan 62 - 37%

List of representatives

Representative Party Dates District Home Notes
District created January 3, 1983
Rod Chandler Republican January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 Redmond[11]
Jennifer Dunn Republican January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2005 Bellevue[12]
Dave Reichert Republican January 3, 2005 – present Auburn Incumbent

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  2. ↑ Seattle Eastside
  3. ↑ 2008 Race Tracker. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  4. ↑ Cook, Charlie. "2006 competitive House race chart." The Cook Political Report, October 11th, 2006. (warning: PDF)
  5. ↑ Hearn, Josephine. "Internal DCCC list pins hopes on 22 challengers." The Hill, April 27, 2006.
  6. ↑ Office of the Washington Secretary of State. 2006 General Election Results. Accessed January 3, 2007.
  7. ↑ Kapochunas, Rachel. "WA 8: GOP Survivor Reichert Prevails Over Burner." The New York Times, November 14, 2006.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ ]</2010 General Election Results
  10. ↑ Garber, Andrew (May 18, 2012). "Final filing day in state offers wealth of choices". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  11. ↑ Turner, Wallace (3 September 1983). "G.O.P. expected to get Jackson seat". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "Late Bellevue Congresswoman Dunn Honored by Son in County DVT Awareness Month Proclamation". Bellevue, WA Patch. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2016. Jennifer Dunn, who lived in Bellevue, represented Washington's 8th District in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2004.

Coordinates: 47°18′N 122°06′W / 47.300°N 122.100°W / 47.300; -122.100

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