Washington's 8th congressional district is a district for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
located in western Washington State. It includes the eastern portions of
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and
Pierce
Pierce may refer to:
Places Canada
* Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia
United States
* Pierce, Colorado
* Pierce, Idaho
* Pierce, Illinois
* Pierce, Kentucky
* Pierce, Nebraska
* Pierce, Texas
* Pierce, We ...
counties, and crosses the
Cascade mountains
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
to include
Chelan and
Kittitas counties. The district's western part includes the exurban communities of
Sammamish
Sammamish ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 67,455 at the 2020 census. Located on a plateau, the city is bordered by Lake Sammamish to the west and the Snoqualmie Valley to the east. Sammamish is a resid ...
,
Issaquah
Issaquah ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 40,051 at the 2020 census. Located in a valley and bisected by Interstate 90, the city is bordered by the Sammamish Plateau to the north and the " Issaquah Al ...
, and
Auburn, but does not include Seattle and Tacoma's more immediate suburbs (with the exception of eastern Kent in the district's westernmost corner). On its east side, the 8th's population centers include the rural communities
Wenatchee
Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and was estimated to have increased to 34,360 as of 2019. Located in the north-central part ...
,
Leavenworth, and
Ellensburg
Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was ...
. It is currently represented in the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
by
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Kim Schrier
Kimberly Merle Schrier ( ; born August 23, 1968) is an American politician and former physician serving as the U.S. Representative from since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life and career
Schrier was born and raised in ...
, who was first elected to the seat in 2018.
Creation
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 district was held by a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
. At the same time, the 8th district has voted for 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 into the Cascades with the 2010 redistricting, its PVI is now even. The GOP winning streak ended with the 2018 election.
Recent history
2004
In 2004,
Dave Reichert
David George Reichert (; born August 29, 1950) is an American politician, veteran, and former sheriff who served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district from 2005 to 2019. He is a Republican and is the former ele ...
, at the time serving as the sheriff of King County, beat his Democratic opponent
Dave Ross
Dave Ross (born April 10, 1952) is a talk show host on Seattle's KIRO-FM radio station. He joined KIRO as a news anchor in 1978 and was given his own talk show in 1987. He has sometimes broadcast his show while on assignment in other locations, ...
by 52% to 48% in the race to replace 12-year incumbent
Jennifer Dunn
Jennifer Jill Dunn (née Blackburn; July 29, 1941 – September 5, 2007) was an American politician and engineer who served six terms as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2005, representing .
Early li ...
; that year, voters in the district favored Democratic presidential candidate
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...
.
2006
Responding to Reichert's perceived vulnerability, former
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
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
The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...
s around the country.
In the end, Reichert won re-election, 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
An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online votin ...
s.
2008
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.
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.
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
Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 (I-90) through the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. The pass summit is at an elevation of , on the county line between Kittitas County and King County.
Snoqualmie ...
also ran against Reichert as an independent candidate, but dropped out of the race in August 2012.
2014
In the
2014 election, Reichert defeated Democrat Jason Ritchie, a small business owner from Issaquah.
2016
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.
2018
Reichert announced in September 2017 that he would not seek re-election. Former State Senator and gubernatorial nominee
Dino Rossi
Dino John Rossi (born October 15, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who served as a Washington State Senate, Washington State Senator thrice, from 1997 to 2003, in 2012, and again from 2016 to 2017. A Republican Party (United States ...
advanced from the top-two primary alongside pediatrician
Kim Schrier
Kimberly Merle Schrier ( ; born August 23, 1968) is an American politician and former physician serving as the U.S. Representative from since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life and career
Schrier was born and raised in ...
. In the general election, Schrier defeated Rossi with 52% of the vote to become the first Democrat to represent the district.
2020
Schrier defeated Republican Jesse Jensen with 52% of the vote, a similar percentage as in 2018.
2022
Schrier defeated Republican Matt Larkin with 53% of the vote.
Election results from statewide races
List of members representing the district
See also
*
2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
*
*
2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
*
*
2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
*
*
2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
References
Sources
*
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
External links
Washington State Redistricting Commission ''
Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...
'', January 13, 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington's 8th Congressional District
08