The washington delegation

congressional officials …

Washington state has a diverse and electorally stable congressional delegation.

Of the 12 members, eight are female, and four are male. Three are minority representation through the end of the year. One is a lawyer and one is a medical doctor. Several are business people, and five Master’s degrees have been conferred to delegation members.

The average tenure for the delegation is 5.6 terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2026. The longest-serving member has been in Congress since 1992.

Two members of the Washington delegation are freshman.

When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)

If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.

Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of push back on former and now current President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are vital to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. None of the Washington delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.
Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on critical matters because they control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been, in our opinion, innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.
Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. Being too doctrinaire, in our opinion, and being an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century is not a way to get a good grade from Thomas.

We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2026 elections today. The overwhelming majority of House members were re-elected in 2024. Neither of the two United States Senators is up for re-election this season.

Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:

Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.
It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.
Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!

So, would you like to meet these fascinating Washingtonians? If so, keep reading on!

what is thomas looking for?

Here are the vulnerable races we are watching in Washington state for 2026:

WA03 - Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s seat (Incumbent D - It’s a Race)
WA08 - Kim Schrier’s seat (Incumbent D - Nudging D)

the senators

United States Senator patty murray (d)

Senator Patty Murray is Washington State’s senior senator. A six-term member, Murray is the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee and serves on the Budget Committee; the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Married and the mother of two, Senator Murray graduated from Washington State University.

Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2026

Thomas Rank: A

Website

United states senator maria cantwell (D)

Washington state’s junior senator is serving her fifth term in the U.S. Senate. A former businesswoman and member of both the Washington House and the U.S. House, Senator Cantwell is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; the Finance Committee; the Indian Affairs Committee; the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee; the Joint Tax Committee; and ranking on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. A graduate of Miami University, Cantwell was first elected in 2000 and won re-election in 2024.

Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2026

Thomas Rank: B

Website

the representatives

district 1 - u.s. rep. Suzan delbene (D)

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene is the current chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and represents areas north of Seattle in the U.S. House of Representatives. A graduate of Reed College with a graduate degree from the University of Washington, the married mother of two serves on the Ways and Means Committee. She is a seven-term member of Congress.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat

Thomas Rank: B

Website

district 2 - U.S. Rep. rick larsen (D)

Congressman Rick Larsen first came to Congress in 2000 and is now serving his thirteenth term in the U.S. House. His district stretches over the United States-Canadian border. The ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the married father of two, graduated from Pacific Lutheran University and has a graduate degree from the University of Minnesota.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat

Thomas Rank: B

Website

District 3 - U.S. Rep. marie gluesenkamp perez (d)

Representing the southern-most and western parts of Washington state, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, or MGP as she is affectionately known to her colleagues, is a second-term member of the House. She is a married mother of one, a graduate of Reed College, and a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Thomas Take: It’s A Race

Thomas Rank: B

Website

District 4 - U.S. Rep. Dan newhouse (R)

Representing the entire central third of the state, Congressman Dan Newhouse is a six-term member of Congress who is an agricultural scientist by training. A member of the Appropriations Committee; the Agriculture Committee; and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Newhouse is an independent-minded Republican. He voted for Donald Trump’s impeachment in both trials and the creation of the January 6th Commission. Congressman Newhouse is married, the father of two, and a graduate of Washington State University.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican

Thomas Rank: A

Website

district 5 - U.S. rep. michael baumgartner (r)

Freshman Congressman Michael Baumgartner represents the eastern Washington state areas, including Spokane. A graduate of Washington State University with a Master’s degree from Harvard University, the congressman serves on the Education and Workforce Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Judiciary Committee. He is married, and is the father of five.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican

Thomas Rank: Too early to rank

Website

district 6 - U.S. rep. emily randall (d)

The sixth district runs through Washington state's Olympic Peninsula region and includes parts of Tacoma. First-term Congresswoman Emily Randall is unmarried is a graduate of Wellesley College. She is a member of the Natural Resources Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat

Thomas Rank: Too early to rank

Website

district 7 - U.s. Rep. pramila jayapal (d)

U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal brought her civil rights activist experience to Congress, where she represents a large part of Seattle and is serving her fifth term in Congress. A member of the Budget, Judiciary, and Foreign Affairs committees, Congresswoman Jayapal has been very vocal on issues related to the Trump and Biden Administrations. A graduate of Georgetown University with a degree from Northwestern University, married, and the mother of two, Jayapal is the first Indian-American member to serve in Congress.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat

Thomas Rank: C

Website

district 8 - U.S. Rep. kim schrier (d)

Now in her fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Kim Schrier represents the western parts of Washington, including the Cascades Mountains area. A graduate of the University of California Davis Medical School and an undergraduate degree holder from the University of California Berkeley, Dr. Schrier is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The doctor is married and the mother of one.

Thomas Take: Nudging Democrat

Thomas Rank: B

Website

district 9 - U.S. rep. adam smith (D)

Congressman Adam Smith is in his fifteenth term in Congress and is the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee. His district includes the Puget Sound area and the state’s western side up to the Seattle lines. A graduate of Fordham University with a law degree from the University of Washington, Congressman Smith is married and the father of two.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat

Thomas Rank: B

Website

district 10 - u.s. rep. marilyn strickland (d)

The three-term member of Congress represents the Olympia state capital area and serves on the Armed Services and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. Congresswoman Strickland is married and a graduate of the University of Washington with a graduate degree from Clark Atlanta University.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat

Thomas Rank: B

Website

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