SEATTLE — Incumbent Washington Senator Patty Murray has won re-election over Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley, CBS News projects.
Murray took over 53% of votes in the August primary; Smiley garnered 34%, beating out the next closest challenger by over 30 points.
Smiley is a nurse who became a veterans advocate after her husband, Scotty, lost his sight to a suicide bomber while serving in Iraq. Murray was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, running 30 years ago as “a mom in tennis shoes.”
In a speech delivered shortly after the race was called, Smiley stopped short of formally conceding, vowing to wait until “every legal vote” is counted.
On Wednesday night, however, Smiley issued a statement formally conceding the race to Murray.
“This evening I reached out to Senator Murray and her campaign to congratulate her on her victory after a hard-fought race. I cannot thank my family, my team and the wonderful people of Washington state enough for their support over the past 18 months,” Smiley said. “This race was never about me - it was about the amazing people of this state and I will never stop fighting and advocating for them.”
In the runup to election day, candidates clashed on such issues as crime, abortion and inflation, and spent $36 million combined on ads, making for the most expensive U.S. Senate race in Washington’s history.
Murray vowed to pass national abortion protections in the Senate and said Smiley’s election could lead to a national abortion ban.
“I am personally pro-life, oppose a federal abortion ban, and I respect the will of the people of Washington state,” Smiley told KIRO 7. “There’s good people on both sides of the issue and I believe it belongs at the state level. … I’m a person of my word.”
Murray’s campaign pointed to anti-abortion social media posts that Smiley liked before announcing her Senate run.
Murray voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which Smiley opposed.
“We need to rein in the out-of-control spending that’s caused the inflation in the first place. When I talk with people, they’re eager for one-issue bills,” Smiley said last month.
On crime, both candidates support funding more police officers. Smiley has highlighted the fentanyl crisis and Murray has spoken about reducing gun violence.
The candidates answered questions in KIRO 7′s Town Hall.
Recent polls had indicated that the margin between the two candidates had been steadily tightening for weeks. That included one poll from the Trafalgar Group in late October, which showed Murray and Smiley in a virtual tie.
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