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2022 United States Senate election in Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2022 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Washington. Murray had won election to a fifth term in 2016 with 59% of the vote.[1]
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Because Washington has a blanket primary system, parties did not nominate their own candidates to run in the general election. Instead, every candidate appeared on the same ballot, regardless of their party affiliation. The top two candidates in the August 2 nonpartisan blanket primary then advanced to the general election. Murray received 52.2% of the primary vote and advanced to face Republican Tiffany Smiley.[2]
Although Washington has been a reliably blue state for over 30 years, many polls showed that Murray only had a narrow lead over Smiley, and some polls had Smiley within the margin of error. A couple of late polls had the two candidates tied; such polls caused most pundits to downgrade their forecast from "safe Democratic" to "likely Democratic", and Republicans believed that Smiley had a chance of pulling off an upset.[3] Despite the predictions of a close race, Murray defeated Smiley and won re-election to a sixth term by a 14.5-point margin. Although this was a significantly larger margin of victory for Murray than what was expected, it was fairly consistent with Washington's partisan lean.[4] Smiley conceded the following day. Despite her loss, she made significant gains in several counties, particularly in the Southwestern and Eastern parts of the state.[5]
Following the election, Murray was elected president pro tempore for the 118th Congress, becoming the first woman to hold the role.[6]
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Primary election
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Democratic candidates
Advanced to general
- Patty Murray, incumbent U.S. Senator and Assistant Democratic Leader[1][7]
Eliminated in primary
Withdrawn before primary
- David Ishii
- Nicolaust Sleister
- Robert Kirby
Republican candidates
Advanced to general
Eliminated in primary
Withdrawn before primary
- Bob Hagglund, IT professional
- Isaac Holyk, CEO of a software development Company
Third party and independent candidates
Eliminated in primary
- Thor Amundson (independent), candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016 and 2018 and governor in 2020[7]
- Jon Butler (no party preference)[7]
- Henry Clay Dennison (Socialist Workers), perennial candidate[7]
- Dan Phan Doan (no party preference)[7]
- Martin D. Hash (no party preference)[7]
- Chuck Jackson (independent), candidate for U.S. Senate in 2012 and 2016[7]
- Leon Lawson (Trump Republican), candidate for governor in 2020[7]
- Naz Paul (independent), real estate developer[7]
- Dave Saulibio (JFK Republican), U.S. Army veteran, candidate for Washington's 5th congressional district in 2018 and Washington's 8th congressional district in 2020[7]
Withdrawn before primary
- Mfumu Metamorphosis Mpiana
- Larry Hussey
Endorsements
Patty Murray (D)
Organizations
- Council for a Livable World[9]
- EMILY's List[10]
- End Citizens United[11]
- Feminist Majority PAC[12]
- Giffords[13]
- Jewish Dems[14]
- King County Democratic Party[15]
- League of Conservation Voters[16]
- Let America Vote[11]
- NARAL Pro-Choice America[17]
- National Women's Political Caucus[18]
- Natural Resources Defense Council[19]
- Population Connection Action Fund[20]
- Sierra Club[21]
- Women's Political Committee[22]
Labor unions
Newspapers
Tiffany Smiley (R)
Executive Branch officials
- Nikki Haley, United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018) and former governor of South Carolina (2011–2017)[27]
U.S. Senators
- Joni Ernst, U.S. Senator from Iowa (2015–present)[28]
- Rick Scott, U.S Senator from Florida (2019–present) and former governor of Florida (2011–2019)[29]
U.S. Representatives
- Doc Hastings, former U.S. Representative from Washington's 4th congressional district (1995–2015)[30]
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. Representative from Washington's 5th congressional district (2005–2025)[31]
- Elise Stefanik, U.S. Representative from New York's 21st congressional district (2015–present)[32]
Individuals
- John Stockton, former NBA player[33]
Organizations
- Benton County Republican Party[34]
- King County Republican Party[35]
- Stand for America PAC[36]
- Washington State Republican Party[37]
- Winning For Women PAC[38]
Results

Murray
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
Smiley
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
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General election
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Debates
Two debates were held, the first on October 23 at Gonzaga University.[41] The second was town hall-style forum on October 30 in the KIRO-TV studio in Seattle.[42]
Murray's campaign declined an invitation to a scheduled debate on October 25 at Seattle University.
Predictions
Post-primary endorsements
Patty Murray (D)
U.S. Executive Branch officials
- Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (2021–2025), and former U.S. Senator from California (2017–2021)[52]
Labor unions
Newspapers
Tiffany Smiley (R)
U.S. Senators
- Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Senator from Tennessee (2019–present) and former U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 7th congressional district (2003–2019)[57][58]
- Tom Cotton, U.S. Senator from Arkansas (2015–present) and former U.S. Representative from Arkansas's 4th congressional district (2013–2015)[59][60]
- Steve Daines, U.S. Senator from Montana (2015-present) and former U.S. Representative from Montana's at-large congressional district (2013-2015)
- Tim Scott, U.S. Senator from South Carolina (2013–present) and former U.S. Representative from South Carolina's 1st congressional district (2011-2013)[58]
Governors
- Larry Hogan, 62nd governor of Maryland (2015–2023)[61]
- Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota (2019–2025), and former U.S. Representative from South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2011–2019)[62]
Organizations
Polling
Aggregate polls
Graphical summary
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Hypothetical polling
Patty Murray vs. generic Republican
Patty Murray vs. generic opponent
Results
By county
By congressional district
Murray won seven of ten congressional districts, with the remaining three going to Smiley, including one that elected a Democrat.[97]
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See also
Notes
Partisan clients
- Poll conducted for the NRSC and the Evergreen Principles PAC, which supports Smiley.
- Poll conducted for KHQ-TV.
- Poll conducted for Citizens United, a conservative non-profit organization.
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References
External links
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