WASHINGTON
      Nov. 8, 2022 U.S. Senate

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+Patty Murray (D) i
 1,741,827
 		57.15%
Tiffany Smiley (R)
 		1,299,322
 		42.63%
write-ins
 6,751
 		0.22%

3,047,900
Registration: 4,806,852.  Total ballots counted: 3,067,686. 
Plurality: 442,505 votes (14.52 percentage points).
 WA Sec. of State


Notes: Sen. Patty Murray (D), first elected in 1992, won a sixth term, defeating veterans advocate Tiffany Smiley (R).  Republicans had hopes for an upset.  Smiley was a strong candidate and ran a good campaign, but Washington is a solidly blue state.  Murray had a record of accomplishments she could point to, ran an active campaign, and was more in sync with with the majority of voters' views on several key issues including abortion.  Ultimately Murray won by about 400,000 votes (>).

Murray announced her re-election effort in a May 17, 2021 video (>). 
Smiley, from Pasco, launched her campaign on Apr. 14, 2021 (>).  The Washington State Republican Party endorsed her on Oct. 8, 2021 in what it termed "an unprecedented action" in support of "an unprecedented candidate." 

All told eighteen candidates ran in the Aug. 2 top-two primary.  Murray finished first with 52.2% of the vote followed by Smiley at 33.7%. 

Murray and Smiley debated on Oct. 23 at Gonzaga University in Spokane, sponsored by The Spokesman-Review, the League of Women Voters, KSPS-TV and the Washington State Debate Coalition (1, 2), and the two participated in a KIRO 7 town hall forum on Oct. 30.

Both candidates had national figures come in to campaign with them.  Among those joining Murray on the trail were Second Man Doug Emhoff (Nov. 6), Vice President Kamala Harris (Oct. 26) and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Oct. 21).  Following up on her bus tour in the summer, Smiley closed the campaign with a "New Mom in Town 2.0 Tour" which kicked off on Oct. 25 with special guest Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst.

The two campaigns were evenly matched financially.  The Murray campaign raised $20.1 million, spent $23.0 million, and had cash on hand of $789,133 compared to $20.8 million raised, $20.0 million spent and $788,079 in cash on hand for the Smiley campaign (>).  Outside groups were not as active as in more tightly contested races, but four super PACs did invest more than $1 million.  Women Vote!, supporting Murray, spent $9.8 million.  Three groups supporting Smiley together spent about that much: Evergreen Principles PAC ($6.1 million), Our American Century ($2.0 million) and Ending Spending Action Fund ($1.8 million).


Campaign Managers:
Patty Murray: Helen Hare
Communications director (from Apr. 2019) and deputy director of communications (from Jan. 2015) to Sen. Murray.  Press secretary and policy communications advisor to the U.S. Senate Budget Committee majority staff, Jan. 2013-Jan. 2015.  Research associate on Obama for America, June 2011-Nov. 2012.  Researcher at the White House, Jan -May 2011.  Communications director on DC Mayor Adrian Fenty's re-election campaign, Apr.-Sept. 2010.  Deputy director of communications to Mayor Adrian Fenty, 2009-10.  B.A. in economics from Oberlin College, 2009. 

Tiffany Smiley: Kristian Hemphill
(April 2021)  Director of external support, data (Feb. 2019-Apr. 2021) and regional data director, West (Aug. 2017-Apr. 2021) at the RNC.  RNC Colorado data director (Jan. 2015-Dec. 2016).  Field director for the Colorado Republican Committee, May 2014-April 2015.  B.A. in political science and government from Hastings College, 2014.


See also:
David M. Drucker.  "'Hard to tell': GOP wants to believe Smiley can win in suddenly competitive Washington Senate race."  Washington Examiner, Nov. 5, 2022.

Alex Roarty.  "Can a Republican Senate Candidate Really Win in Washington?"  Tribune News Service, Mar. 20, 2022.




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