CQ Risk Rating: Safe Republican 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| Jennifer Dunn (R) | 183,255 | 62% |
| Heidi Behrens-Benedict (D) | 104,944 | 36% |
| Bernard McIlroy (LIBERT) | 6,269 | 2% |
| PRIMARY ELECTION: SEPTEMBER 19, 2000 |
|
| | Votes | Percentage | | Democratic |
| Heidi Behrens-Benedict | 54,449 | 37% |
| | Libertarian |
| Bernard McIlroy | 3,059 | 2% |
| | Republican |
| Jennifer Dunn | 89,133 | 61% |
Note: Washington has a "jungle" primary, in which candidates of all parties appear on the same ballot; the candidate in each party with the most votes advances to the general election.
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
WASHINGTON 8
:
Puget Sound (east) - King County suburbs; Bellevue
The snow-capped peaks of Mt. Rainier and the rural communities nearby
provide an allure to the 8th that has caused it to explode with suburban
growth. Some of Seattle's most prosperous suburbs are in this fiscally
conservative, mostly Republican district, but demographic changes could be
eroding the once-dominant Republican support. The eastern portion of
sparsely populated Pierce County makes up the district's lower half.
The district's 35-percent population growth in the 1980s made it the
state's fastest growing. Its blue-collar working base depends on Boeing for
jobs, but Boeing's 1998 announcement that it would lay off thousands of
workers may cause some to leave the district in search of work.
While Republicans have won in landslides for years, the politics of the
8th are slowly changing. Fiscally conservative suburbanites vote for
like-minded candidates, but the district's women voters are not committed to
Republicans and many shy away from social conservatives. Blocks of
Vietnamese, Russian and Cambodian immigrants are making the community more
diverse and could have more influence on elections in the future. Because of
traffic problems and other growth difficulties, support for a grass-roots
movement known as "Lesser Seattle," which promotes slow growth, has
increased in the community.
Major Industry
Logging, aviation manufacturing, software
Population
540,735 (1990)
Cities
Bellevue (pt.), 69,085; East Hill-Meridian (unincorporated), 42,696;
Cascade-Fairwood (unincorporated) (pt.), 27,718 (1990)
People
75% urban; 8% age 65+ (ranks ninth of nine in state; bottom third
nationally); 65% married couples, 33% married couples with children; 29%
college educated (ranks third of nine in state; top third nationally); 65%
white collar (ranks third of nine in state; top third nationally), 24% blue
collar (ranks sixth of nine in state; middle third nationally) (1990)
Race
92% white, 2% black, 5% Asian; 2% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$42,379 (ranks first of nine in state; top third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
First pontoon bridge made of reinforced concrete was finished on July 2,
1940, connecting Mercer Island and Seattle.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
Front | Political News | Elections | The Issues | Federal Page | Polls
Columns - Cartoons | Live Online | Online Extras | Photo Galleries | Video - Audio
|
District 8
