Herrera Beutler wins second term

U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, secured her second congressional term on Tuesday evening, according to preliminary returns from across Southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.

Herrera Beutler received about 59 percent of the vote reported on Tuesday, while her Democratic challenger, commercial airline pilot Jon Haugen, received roughly 40 percent of the vote.

Herrera Beutler celebrated her victory on Tuesday evening at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver. She said she felt “excited, humbled and like we have a lot of work to do. It starts tomorrow.”

Herrera Beutler had more momentum in the congressional race than Haugen, raising more than $1.5 million for her campaign. Haugen, 53, raised a fraction of that, about $10,000, according to his latest campaign contributions report.

Haugen also was late in clinching the Washington State Democratic Party’s nomination. The state party voted against his nomination at its convention, nominating him during a meeting months later.

Herrera Beutler, 34, was elected to the U.S. House in 2010. Before that, she served as a representative in the state House.

The 3rd Congressional District covers several counties in Southwest Washington. It spans from Pacific County on the Washington coast to parts of Klickitat County, east of the Cascades.

Rank-and-file members of Congress in both the House and Senate are paid an annual salary of $174,000.

Stevie Mathieu: 360-735-4523 or stevie.mathieu@columbian.com or www.facebook.com/reportermathieu or www.twitter.com/col_politics