Early election results show U.S. Rep. Adam Smith is winning his bid for re-election in Washington’s 9th Congressional District, which spans from Bellevue and south Seattle down through Renton, Tukwila, Kent, Federal Way and Tacoma.
The incumbent congressman is netting about 70 percent of the vote against challenger Sarah Smith, according to the Secretary of State’s office, which will certify final results Nov. 30.
Both candidates in this race are Democrats. Adam Smith, who grew up in SeaTac, was first elected to Congress in 1996 and has served 11 terms so far. He is the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee and is a founding member of the Medicare for All Caucus.
Sarah Smith, a 30-year-old political newcomer from Kent, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. She ran on a progressive platform modeled on the policies of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
In the August primary election, in which the top-two finishers advanced to the November general election, Adam Smith received about 48 percent of the vote while Sarah Smith received 27 percent. Republican challenger Doug Basler got about 25 percent of the vote in the August primary. Basler also ran unsuccessfully on the Republican ticket against Adam Smith in the 2014 and 2016 general elections, finishing with under 30 percent of the vote in both elections.