Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, talks with a reporter on election night in November 2018.
Jaime Herrera Beutler on election night.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, is poised for reelection with a 5-point lead in the 3rd District, holding off a hard-fought challenge from Democrat Carolyn Long.
Wednesday evening, the incumbent held a 52.6 to 47.4 percent lead — a margin of about 13,000 votes — following a campaign that saw Long shatter fundraising records and mount the first serious Democratic challenge to Herrera Beutler since she won the seat in 2010.
“I’m so honored to have once again earned the trust of Southwest Washington residents who have selected me to serve them in Congress for another term,” Herrera Beutler said in a statement Wednesday, after the second vote count made clear she would be the winner. “I’ve always worked to be a public servant who solves local problems and makes our region’s priorities my priorities, and that will be my approach in this next Congress.”
Long conceded the race Wednesday evening.
“What we’ve built on this campaign is greater than one person — it’s a
movement of folks from all over Southwest Washington that cannot and will
not end with this election,” she said in a statement. “We ran a civil campaign that I can look back on with pride knowing that we stayed focused on the issues that matter to people in my district.”
Herrera Beutler said she had a “good conversation” with Long following her concession, and called her a “worthy opponent” who ran a “vigorous campaign.”
The challenger initially called the race “too close to call” on Tuesday, citing tens of thousands of ballots yet to be counted, but Wednesday’s update only grew Herrera Beutler’s lead.
The margin, Herrera Beutler noted in an interview Tuesday, closely mirrors that of her first campaign in 2010. Though she has earned easy reelections since then, Long has put that streak in doubt in 2018, outraising the incumbent by around $1 million and earning endorsements from President Obama and a slew of Democratic fundraising groups.
Herrera Beutler said she never expects to cruise to victory, adding that she was “humbled” to be performing so well despite being outraised by Long.
“I’ve never taken for granted that I was entitled to this seat or that I should expect it,” she said. “I’m not surprised this is close.”
Meanwhile, Long spokesman Will Casey noted that Long made a tight contest of a race that Herrera Beutler has won by double digits in most elections.
“It’s a testament to the strength of the race that we ran,” he said. “It’s a race the incumbent has previously won by 20 or more points.”
While Democrats nationwide have retaken the House of Representatives, Herrera Beutler said her focus on local issues is what has put her in solid position amid a tough night for many other GOP candidates.
“They’re not the sexy issues, but they’re the issues that affect the people of this region,” she said. “People pay attention to that. … That’s why we’re in an optimistic place versus a lot of my colleagues in a lot of districts that are a lot more red.”
