Cook PVI EVEN | Population (2010) 672,463 Median income 63,854 | |
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Distribution 83.4% urban16.6% rural Ethnicity 79.9% White2.4% Black7.0% Asian9.7% Hispanic1.1% Native American4.6% other Area 7,359.70 sq mi (19,061.5 km2) | ||
Washington's 8th congressional district includes the eastern portions of King and Pierce counties and crosses the Cascade mountains to include Chelan and Kittitas counties. The population centers on the west side of the mountains include the exurban communities of Sammamish, Issaquah, and Auburn. On the east side, the 8th's population centers are rural communities Wenatchee, Leavenworth, and Ellensburg. 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. The state redistricting in response to population changes determined by the 2010 census shifted much of the "Eastside" portions of what was District 8 to District 9, and added regions east of the Cascades to District 8.
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. The District's PVI is now even 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.
Voters in the district narrowly favored Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, Democrat Barack Obama by almost 15 points over Republican John McCain in 2008, then again narrowly favored Obama in 2012, and Hillary Clinton by three points in the 2016 presidential election.
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." 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.
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 ballots.
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.
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.