The Winner
If you live in Washington's 9th U.S. House District, you will continue to be represented in Congress by Adam Smith) (D-WA), who has been declared the winner of the 2026 congressional race, according to the Associated Press (AP). Smith took about 75.5% of the vote to about 23.8% for Republican Doug Basler, a margin of about 52 points, according to the state's official results as of Nov. 11.
Smith won by about 120,958 votes, with about 176,565 votes to Basler's about 55,607. The winner is based on the AP call, and the vote figures are preliminary until the state certifies them. The seat stays in Democratic hands.
The Race
Basler reached the general election ballot by finishing in the top two of the Aug. 4 primary, where he received about 16,842 votes. Cook Political Report rated the seat Solid Democratic before the election.
The district covers parts of King and Pierce counties, including Bellevue, Seattle, Renton, Kent and Federal Way, according to the Washington Secretary of State.
Washington's 9th Congressional District has about 772,800 residents, according to geographic data. The median household income is about $100,400, and the median age is about 37. About 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher; the unemployment rate is about 5.6%, and about 10.9% of residents live below the poverty line. The population is about 40.9% white, 23.5% Asian, 15.1% Hispanic, and 12.3% Black.
What's Next
Smith is set to take office on Jan. 3, 2027. Smith has said housing affordability is a priority, pointing to legislation he wrote to require corporate landlords to divest single-family homes, according to Adam Smith for Congress, his campaign website.
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