SEATTLE — In the U.S. Senate race with a field of 11 candidates, incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell leads her closest challenger by more than 20 percentage points.
If Washington's 2024 primary election was held today, 58% of likely voters said they would support Cantwell, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Republican Raul Garcia trails with 37% of the vote in the poll.
"I think it's looking very, very good for Senator Cantwell. But again, anything can happen, and so she can't relax. She can feel pretty confident, but she and her campaign have to keep going," said KING 5 political analyst and former Washington Governor Gary Locke.
The survey of 801 registered voters — 564 which were determined to likely vote in the Aug. 6 primary — was conducted in conjunction with The Seattle Times and University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public.
Only one voter said they will vote for another candidate; 5% are undecided.
Cantwell has served as senator since 2001. She previously served as a representative in Washington's 1st District before serving as a state representative.
Garcia, an emergency room doctor out of Yakima, previously filed to run for governor before dropping out of the race and endorsing Dave Reichert.
"He'll have to raise a lot of money to familiarize himself to voters, they need to know who he is, they don't know who he is right now," said KING 5 political analyst and former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna. "So his challenge now as we get into the heart of the summer, and then into the fall is to introduce himself to voters and persuade them that he's a credible alternative to the incumbent."
Cantwell supporters said the climate and abortion were their top issues, while Garcia's supporters overwhelmingly cited border security.
The top two candidates in the August primary will face off in November's general election.