Washington Results Follow Expectations

By Chris Good

Washington's "jungle" primary last night went mostly as expected: every House incumbent won, and in the open third congressional district, the frontrunning Denny Heck came in first. Incumbent Sen. Patty Murray, as expected, topped her primary and will go on to face Republican Dino Rossi in November.

The only surprise in Washington, if there was one, was the spectacular accuracy of the last major poll conducted in the state. Murray won with 46%, Rossi placed second with 34%, and Conservative former NFL tight end Clint Didier placed third with 12%. Public Policy Polling's July 27-August 1 poll predicted each total within one percentage point.

So despite the excitement of the "jungle," or "open," or "top-two" primary system, in which candidates from all partied enter battles royale and the top two advance, Washington's primary night was rather uneventful.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/washington-results-follow-expectations/61684/