# 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington

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Elections were held on November 2, 2010, to determine Washington's nine members of the United States House of Representatives. Representatives were elected for two-year terms to serve in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. Nonpartisan blanket primary elections were held on August 17, 2010.
Of the nine elections, the races in the 2nd, 3rd and 8th districts were rated as competitive by CQ Politics, The Rothenberg Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball, while The Cook Political Report rated the 2nd, 3rd, 8th and 9th districts as competitive. Every incumbent was re-elected, with the exception of Democrat Brian Baird, the U.S. representative for Washington's 3rd congressional district, who retired rather than seeking re-election. Baird was succeeded by Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican.
In total, five Democrats and four Republicans were elected. In the November elections a total of 2,479,409 votes were cast, of which 1,296,502 (52 percent) were for Democratic candidates, 1,135,166 (46 percent) were for Republican candidates, and 47,741 (2 percent) were for an independent candidate.

## Overview

Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington by district:
| District | Democratic | Democratic | Republican | Republican | Others | Others | Total | Total | Result |
| District | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Result |
| District 1 | 172,642 | 57.67% | 126,737 | 42.33% | 0 | 0.00% | 299,379 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| District 2 | 155,241 | 51.07% | 148,722 | 48.93% | 0 | 0.00% | 303,963 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| District 3 | 135,654 | 47.03% | 152,799 | 52.97% | 0 | 0.00% | 288,453 | 100.0% | Republican gain |
| District 4 | 74,973 | 32.36% | 156,726 | 67.64% | 0 | 0.00% | 231,699 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
| District 5 | 101,146 | 36.33% | 177,235 | 63.67% | 0 | 0.00% | 278,381 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
| District 6 | 151,873 | 58.04% | 109,800 | 41.96% | 0 | 0.00% | 261,673 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| District 7 | 232,649 | 82.97% | 0 | 0.00% | 47,741 | 17.03% | 280,390 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| District 8 | 148,581 | 47.95% | 161,296 | 52.05% | 0 | 0.00% | 309,877 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
| District 9 | 123,743 | 54.85% | 101,851 | 45.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 225,594 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| Total | 1,296,502 | 52.29% | 1,135,166 | 45.78% | 47,741 | 1.93% | 2,479,409 | 100.0% | |

## District 1

In 2010 the 1st district included Bothell, Edmonds, Lynnwood and parts of Kirkland, Redmond and Shoreline. The district's population was 77 percent white, 10 percent Asian and 6 percent Hispanic (see Race and ethnicity in the United States census); 94 percent were high school graduates and 41 percent had received a bachelor's degree or higher. Its median income was $73,943. In the 2008 presidential election the district gave 62 percent of its vote to Democratic nominee Barack Obama and 36 percent of its vote to Republican nominee John McCain.
Democrat Jay Inslee, who took office in 1999, was the incumbent. Inslee was re-elected in 2008 with 68 per cent of the vote. In 2010 Inslee's opponent in the general election was James Watkins, a businessman and a member of the Republican Party. Matthew Burke, a financial planner, also ran as a Republican; and David D. Schirle, a former physician and a member of the Washington National Guard, ran as an independent candidate.
Inslee raised $1,403,962 and spent $1,270,456. Watkins raised $351,477 and spent $339,770. Burke raised $51,135 and spent $49,931. Schirle raised $9,602 and spent $12,842.
In a Republican internal poll conducted in March 2010 by Moore Information, with a sample size of 300 registered voters, 41 percent of respondents supported Inslee while 27 percent favored Watkins. Prior to the election FiveThirtyEight's forecast gave Inslee a 100 percent chance of winning, and projected that he would receive 62 percent of the vote to Watkins's 36 percent. On election day Inslee was re-elected with 58 percent of the vote to Watkins's 42 percent.
Inslee resigned in March 2012 in order to run for Governor of Washington. He was elected to that office in November 2012. Watkins unsuccessfully ran for the position of state auditor in 2012.

### Primary results

Washington's 1st congressional district primary, August 17, 2010 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jay Inslee (incumbent) | 90,208 | 55.85 |
| | Republican | James Watkins | 44,269 | 27.41 |
| | Republican | Matthew Burke | 20,185 | 12.50 |
| | Independent | David D. Schirle | 6,864 | 4.25 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 161,526 | 100.00 |

### General election
#### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jay Inslee (D) | James Watkins (R) | Undecided |
| Wenzel Strategies (R) | March 23–24, 2010 | 400 (RV) | – | 41% | 27% | 32% |
Washington's 1st congressional district general election, November 2, 2010 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jay Inslee (incumbent) | 172,642 | 57.67 |
| | Republican | James Watkins | 126,737 | 42.33 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 299,379 | 100.00 |