2000 United States Senate election in Washington
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| Turnout | 75.46% | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Cantwell: 40–50% 50–60% Gorton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Washington |
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The 2000 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Slade Gorton was seeking reelection to a third consecutive term (fourth overall), but was very narrowly unseated for a second time (the first being 1986) by former Congresswoman Maria Cantwell.
Major candidates
Democratic
- Maria Cantwell, former U.S. Representative
- Deborah Senn, Washington State Insurance Commissioner
Republican
- Slade Gorton, incumbent U.S. Senator
General election
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 30, 2000
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Maria Cantwell | 1,199,437 | 48.73% | +4.48% | |
| Republican | Slade Gorton (incumbent) | 1,197,208 | 48.64% | −7.11% | |
| Libertarian | Jeff Jared | 64,734 | 2.63% | +2.6% | |
| Total votes | 2,461,379 | 100.00% | +761,206 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Since Maria Cantwell had only won by 2,229 votes, an automatic recount was triggered. Cantwell won the recount, but it was still one of the closest elections in Washington State history.
On November 17, 2000, Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed declared Cantwell the senator-elect.