There are some surprising twists in our interminable Washington election.
Republican John Koster has come from behind to take the lead in the Second Congressional District race by 160 votes, and is likely to end up beating incumbent Rick Larsen. The good news for Larsen is that the total Democrat vote is over 50 percent; the good news for Koster is that independents who didn't vote in the primary will likely swing his way in the general.
Of course, Koster won the primary in 2000, too: but Larsen ended up winning the general. But it was an open seat in 2000, and that the incumbent might finish second in the primary is really bad for Larsen.
Similarly, incumbent Democratic Senator Jean Berkey (38th LD) is coming in third in her primary, and is likely to be eliminated from the general election ballot. At 32.24% of the vote, she's falling behing Conservative candidate Rod Rieger at 32.63%, and fellow Democratic candidate Nick Harper at 35.13%.
According to Jerry Cornfield at The Herald, she'd be the only incumbent for the state legislature to fail to get to the general election this year. More incumbents, like Sound Politics troll Geoff Simpson, are likely to lose in the general, though.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
Posted by pudge at August 25, 2010 10:36 PM | Email This(sidebar: This is unlike Dino Rossi so far, who has let Patty Murray run attack ads against him, without responding in kind. Instead, he sounds more like he is the incumbent (running on his record) being attacked by the incumbent.)
Exposing scumbag Simpson is long overdue and people need to be reminded again before Nov. 2nd that unless we get rid of these morally bankrupt low-lifes in politics, we will not get the change that most of us are clamoring for.
Posted by: KDS on August 26, 2010 09:52 AMNow if someone could explain how Jame Watkins vote total went from 42,878 on 8/23 to 42,835 on 8/25 on vote.wa.gov I'd be interested.
Posted by: TP Dave on August 26, 2010 12:17 PMLOL, what a baseless, generalized statement. where's your analysis to back that up? Larson is "losing" by a few hundred votes. that OBVIOUSLY means he's going to lose the general election. such, indepth, insightful commentary on this blog.
Posted by: Tyler on August 28, 2010 02:05 PMAll the polls show a majority of independents are leaning Republican, and the polls in the 2nd CD back that up in this race.
Larson is "losing" by a few hundred votes.
You probably mean "Larsen."
that OBVIOUSLY means he's going to lose the general election.
Actually no one made any such argument.
such, indepth, insightful commentary on this blog.
Funny how you needed me to explain the obvious to you, you don't even know who is running, and you think an argument is being made that no one mentioned at all ... and yet you think you are somehow smarter than us? Cough.
I'd give Koster a 51% chance of winning in November as it stands now, although slightly more D's than R's voted in the primary.
Posted by: KDS on August 29, 2010 09:28 PM