OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Republican leaders are getting the competitive race they hoped for when they recruited Dino Rossi to challenge Democratic Sen. Patty Murray.
Murray and Rossi have been campaigning against each other for weeks, but their matchup is now formally set after Tuesday’s “top two” primary. Murray won about 46 percent of the vote in unofficial returns, with Rossi claiming about 34 percent.
Rossi is buoyed by the combined Republican vote, which was close to 50 percent. Murray’s total means she’s still endangered, but her showing wasn’t as bad as some Democrats had feared.
The Washington Senate race is being watched nationally because it’s one of the contests that holds the keys to any Republican hopes of taking over the Senate.
