Washington at a Glance State Profile - Gov. Locke (D) - Sen. Murray (D) - Sen. Cantwell (D) Presidential Politics Congressional Districting - 01 - Inslee (D) - 02 - Larsen (D) - 03 - Baird (D) - 04 - Hastings (R) - 05 - Nethercutt (R) - 06 - Dicks (D) - 07 - McDermott (D) - 08 - Dunn (R) - 09 - Smith (D) Almanac 2002 Home States & Districts Elected Officials For district profiles and additional information on the elected officials of Washington, please use the pull-down menu above.

The misty shores of Puget Sound have seen some of America's most vibrant economic growth over the last two decades. It has spread south from Seattle, over the mixed suburban territory, south and west to the once industrial city of Tacoma. The subdivisions along the Sound, which have some of the loveliest views in America, tend to be high-income. But much of greater Seattle's prime industrial territory lies between the ridges that run north and south inland. Weyerhaeuser, the world's largest private owner of softwood timber, has its headquarters here in Federal Way. Boeing is also a major presence in Renton, on the south end of Lake Washington; its aircraft and electronic components plants and its business services division, employing more than 20,000 people, have helped make the company America's number one exporter. A host of smaller factories cluster near the rail lines that run from Minneapolis-St. Paul across the Great Plains to Puget Sound. The military has influenced this area too. Fort Lewis is just west of Tacoma and active-duty and retired military personnel and their families make up perhaps one-fifth of the population.

The 9th Congressional District of Washington covers much of this area. It is a new seat created after the 1990 Census and confirmed by a 1992 Supreme Court decision that upheld the counting of servicemen abroad in their state of residence (otherwise, this seat would have gone to Massachusetts). The 9th District's northern end wraps around Sea-Tac International Airport and Renton, then winds south past Kent, Auburn and Federal Way, and reaches the shipyards and docks of Tacoma. It covers a piece of Tacoma, including McChord Air Force Base, and proceeds west, taking in the Army's vast Fort Lewis in Pierce County and stopping just shy of the boundaries of the state capital of Olympia. It is not heavily Democratic or Republican; as the district director for its first congressman said, "Everybody was happy to unload this district. It's sort of a mutt in a way." For three elections the 9th District was balanced at equipoise: it went Democratic in 1992, Republican in 1994, Democratic in 1996. Then, it settled down.

The congressman from the 9th District is Adam Smith, a Democrat first elected in 1996. He grew up in the Sea-Tac area; his father, a baggage handler for United Airlines and active in the Machinists' Union, died when Smith was 17. The family went on welfare; Smith worked his way through Fordham driving trucks for UPS, then went to the University of Washington Law School. He worked as a lawyer, then as a Seattle prosecutor, handling drunk driving and domestic abuse cases. In 1990, at 25, he was elected to the state Senate, beating an incumbent Republican by doorbelling the district twice. In July 1995 decided to run against Congressman Randy Tate. In many ways, the two were similar: born the same year to families of modest backgrounds, first elected to office at young ages, firm believers in doorbelling. A religious conservative and strong supporter of Speaker Newt Gingrich, Tate was an immediate target of the AFL-CIO in 1996, which spent somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million on ads against him. Smith campaigned as a moderate Democrat, a supporter of the death penalty and three-strikes legislation, and a believer in a more efficient and responsive government. Smith's campaign steadily attacked Tate for supporting Gingrich on 96% of House votes and for backing Medicare "cuts." Tate attacked Smith for opposing channeling youthful offenders to adult courts and prisons, and for voting for Governor Mike Lowry's $1.2 billion tax increase in 1993. This was one of the closest races in the country. In the September all-party primary, usually a good indicator of the final result in Washington, Smith led 49%-48%. The result in November was not quite as close: 50%-47% for Smith. Tate went on to become head of the Christian Coalition for two years.

In the House, Smith showed political acumen, winning good committee assignments--Resources and Armed Services. He announced he would not accept contributions from PACs or individuals outside Washington state in his first year, and kept doorbelling constituents. His voting record was moderate for a Democrat and he is communications chairman of the New Democrat Coalition. He voted for the balanced budget and for charter schools (but against school vouchers); he supported term limits and voted to allow concealed weapons permits to be transferred from state to state. In 1999 he was one of four House Democrats to vote for the Republicans' budget; a year later, he voted to override Bill Clinton's vetoes of the estate-tax and marriage-penalty repeals. Despite the pleas of Norm Dicks from the next-door 6th District, he voted against additional B-2 stealth bombers and against fast track--going against Boeing both times, though the fast track vote pleased his union backers. Later, though, he voted for permanent normal trade relations with China. He passed an amendment to the defense authorization bill in 1998 to cap overhead spending on cleanup at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation to 33% of the total cleanup budget, saying, "Too much money is going to management, and not enough is going to cleanup." After gaining unfavorable publicity for not introducing a single bill in his first term, Smith introduced seven bills in 1999-2000--from the handling of budget surpluses to enhancing military personnel benefits.

Smith's independence has worked well for him back home. He twice won reelection against credible opponents with more than 60% of the vote, an impressive performance in a district that had never before re-elected an incumbent. Redistricting will adjust, perhaps significantly shift, the partisan balance in this closely balanced district.

Cook's Call:
Probably Safe. The fact that Smith was able to win his last two races with more than 60% belies the inherent competitiveness of this district. It was drawn in 1991 to be competitive, but Smith's moderate image and easygoing style insulate him from charges that he is too liberal.

The People:

• Pop. 2000: 649,451; Pop. 1990: 540,519, up 20.2% 1990-2000.
• 73.9% White, 7% Black, 7.9% Asian, 1.4% Amer. Indian, 1.1% Hawaiian, 5.2% Two+ races, 3.4% Other. 7.2% Hispanic origin.

2000 Presidential Vote Gore (D) 124,726 (53%) Bush (R) 97,941 (42%) Nader (Green) 7,858 (3%)

1996 Presidential Vote Clinton (D) 110,854 (51%) Dole (R) 77,616 (36%) Perot (I) 20,806 (10%)