Suzan DelBene wins in newly drawn 1st District
Nov 7, 2012, 5:36 AM | Updated: 6:08 am
Democrat Suzan DelBene is leading Republican John Koster in Washington's newly drawn 1st District Congressional race. (Image courtesy Suzan DelBene)
(Image courtesy Suzan DelBene)
Democrat Suzan DelBene has defeated Republican John Koster in Washington’s most-contested congressional race.
In early returns Tuesday night, DelBene led by 54 percent to 46 percent for Koster in the race for the open 1st Congressional District seat.
Spanning from the suburbs of King County to the Canadian border in Whatcom County, the sprawling, redrawn district was seen as a toss-up throughout the election. After the 2010 Census, Washington gained a congressional seat.
DelBene, a former Microsoft executive, defeated a group of Democrats in the primary to face Koster, who faced little opposition from his own party. DelBene used more than $2 million of her own money in the campaign.
In a speech Tuesday night, DelBene said she’d like to bring the energy and the engagement from the campaign into congress.
Koster has said he will not concede until numbers are reviewed from the next ballot drop around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
