Washington State Republican Senate Candidate Outraises Democrat Incumbent Nearly Two-To-One

Proclaiming that her latest fundraising successes prove she is “in a commanding position” to become Washington state’s next United States Senator, Republican Tiffany Smiley bested five-term incumbent Democrat Patty Murray in third-quarter contributions by a nearly two-to-one margin, according to the latest numbers from the Federal Election Commission.

The Smiley campaign has amassed a war chest of $2.5 million, compared to Murray’s $3.8 million. According to a recent press release, Smiley and her team raised $6 million during the third quarter, pushing the number of individual contributions over 60,000 — a new record for the campaign that gives the Smiley camp a boost of confidence in the final days before the Nov. 8 general election.

A recent Emerson College poll of 782 likely voters conducted between September 12 and October 1 showed 50.7 percent of respondents would vote for Murray, compared to 41.9 percent for Smiley. However, the poll also gave Smiley a 5.2-point favorability advantage over Murray, who was viewed unfavorably by more respondents. While 18.6 percent of respondents said they were unsure of or never heard of Smiley, an estimated 5.8 percent of respondents said they were unsure of or never heard of Murray in the Emerson poll.

Respondents also said the top four issues most important to them in the current election cycle were the economy, threats to democracy, abortion access, and crime.

The poll revealed support for President Biden is down by nearly 8 points among respondents who said they voted for Biden in 2020. The Emerson data said if the presidential election were held today, Biden would likely garner 49.4 percent of the votes, a downward 7.8-point drop that may carry over to Senator Murray who has voted for Biden’s positions 96.3 percent of the time over the last two years, according to data compiled by according to the data website FiveThirtyEight.

“Voters have responded positively to my Agenda for Recovery and Reform which outlines a plan to help Washington families who are facing multiple crises at the kitchen table and in their neighborhoods,” said Smiley. “As a triage nurse, I know how to take on and fix issues and that’s exactly what I’ll do in the United States Senate – turn crises into hope for all Washingtonians.

“As a small-town Washington farm girl, I never dreamed that one day I would be running to represent the amazing voters of Washington state,” she added. “I am blown away and humbled by the groundswell of support we have received, and I am so thankful to my team and our grassroots volunteers for all the hard work they have poured into this campaign.”

Data from the Election Betting Odds website shows Republicans shot up 3.4 points in the last week to a 47.2 percent chance of winning the U.S. Senate and an 81.9 percent chance of taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Fox News power rankings project GOP candidates winning 49 and Democrats 47 seats in the Senate, with four toss-ups – Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.

“After 30 years in the Senate, it’s clear that Washington, D.C. is a lot better off than Washington state. I have a proven track record of taking on the federal government and winning,” said Smiley “As Washington’s next Senator, I will go to D.C. and work with ALL of my Senate colleagues to accomplish meaningful legislation and start moving Washington forward again!”