Who's In the Race

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) faces Republican Mary Silva in the November 3 general election in Washington's 1st Congressional District, a top-two primary race in which the two highest vote-getters advance regardless of party. ​

DelBene has represented the district since November 2012 and previously served as director of the Washington State Department of Revenue and spent 12 years at Microsoft, most recently as a corporate vice president; she also co-founded drugstore.com. She took about 53% of the vote in the August 4 top-two primary, with Silva finishing second at about 26%. DelBene drew more than twice as many primary votes as Silva, 85,156 to 42,088.

Silva describes herself as a working mother and audiologist who has practiced in the community for about 20 years.

What They Stand For

DelBene has supported strengthening the Affordable Care Act to expand coverage and lower prescription drug costs, according to her official House website. She has also supported:

  • Protecting access to abortion and family-planning services, saying women should make health-care decisions "without interference from politicians or employers"
  • Job creation and long-term economic growth as a top priority,
  • Moving toward clean and renewable energy while reducing dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil; and
  • Expanding affordable housing and addressing homelessness in the region.

Silva has proposed bringing semiconductor manufacturing, information technology, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity operations back to the United States and reforming the H-1B visa program to prioritize local hiring, according to her campaign website. She has also supported:

  • Strengthening border security and security-clearance procedures, and investigating foreign penetration of critical infrastructure,
  • A comprehensive Pentagon audit to stop waste and enforce fiscal responsibility,
  • Requiring voter ID and establishing a midweek national voting holiday; and
  • Individual medical decision-making and parental authority in health care, and opposing warrantless collection of personal data.

The Money Behind the Race

Through July 15, DelBene had raised about $3.6 million and had about $1.1 million in cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings; her debt of about $495,000 is less than half of her receipts. All candidates in the race have raised a combined total of about $4.26 million.

Outside groups have spent about $113,130 supporting DelBene, with Protect Progress accounting for about $113,120 of that total.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Every major race-rating service views this contest as a safe hold for Democrats. Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Democratic as of Oct. 19; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Democratic as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rated it Solid Democratic as of Oct. 2. On the prediction market Kalshi, traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is DelBene, a 97.68% chance of winning as of Oct. 20.

The district's recent history supports that consensus. DelBene won the seat with about 63% of the vote in both the 2024 and 2022 general elections. Democrats have held eight of Washington's ten U.S. House seats in both 2022 and 2024. In the 2024 presidential race, Democrat Kamala Harris carried Washington state with about 57% of the vote.

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