Washington primary includes U.S. Senate, House races

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington voters will winnow the field of candidates in dozens of races in the state’s primary Tuesday.

Washington is a vote-by-mail state, and ballots were sent to nearly 4.8 million registered voters weeks ago. Voters must have their ballots postmarked and in the mail by Tuesday, or they can drop them off at drop boxes around the state by 8 p.m. Results often take days to come in as the ballots arrive in elections offices throughout that week.

Under the state’s primary system, the top two vote getters advance to the general election in November, regardless of party.

Here’s a look at the top races voters will be weighing in on:

U.S. SENATE: U.S. Sen. Patty Murray faces more than a dozen primary candidates as she seeks a sixth term, but is expected to advance with Republican Tiffany Smiley, a first-time political candidate. Washington voters haven’t elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1994. Smiley, a former nurse from Pasco, has highlighted her past advocacy for her husband, a military veteran who was blinded in an explosion while serving in Iraq. Murray, a member of Democratic leadership, has risen to chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

CONGRESS: All 10 Congressional seats are on the ballot but only three races are competitive. Three Republican challengers have mounted campaigns in an effort to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier in Washington’s 8th Congressional District: Army veteran Jesse Jensen, who ran unsuccessfully against Schrier in 2020; King County Council Member Reagan Dunn, a former federal prosecutor whose mother once held the seat; and former state attorney general candidate Matt Larkin. The seat is a key target of GOP efforts to retake control of the House. Two other Republican...