SEATTLE —It’s been more than two decades since a member of Congress lost a race for reelection in Washington.
This year, one incumbent has already lost. And two more could be at risk.
As campaigns in Washington enter the final stretch before Election Day, voters will help determine the nation’s path on health care, economic stability, reproductive rights and public safety.
Washington could be a bellwether. If Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, seeking a sixth term in her tightest race in more than a decade, fails to win reelection, Democrats are all but certain to lose control of the Senate. If Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier loses her bid for a third term in Washington’s one true swing district, Democrats’ already fragile chances of holding control of the House of Representatives become almost untenable.
Democrats, should they keep control of Congress, want to codify abortion rights, while Republicans could seek a nationwide abortion ban. Republicans, both nationally and locally, have called for cutting government spending, but have little consensus about what they would cut.