Local News

The Seattle Times political team explores national, state and local politics.

A new KING-TV SurveyUSA poll shows that Democrat Suzan DelBene has “a slight advantage” in the state’s newly drawn swing district, the 1st Congressional District. In a poll conducted over the weekend, Oct. 19-21, 47 percent of likely voters said they planned to vote for DelBene, versus 44 percent for her opponent, Republican John Koster.

With a margin-of-error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, it’s still a very close race, but Koster has not been behind in the numbers since the same poll showed him ahead, 46 percent to 42 percent, in September.

The poll suggests that hard-hitting ads highlighting Koster’s social views may be working. On those issues, 47 percent of those responding to the poll said DelBene better reflects their views. Only 39 percent said Koster better reflected their views. Koster fared better on economic issues; 44 percent said he better reflected their views, and 41 percent said DelBene did.

Over the past couple of weeks, Democratic groups supporting DelBene have run ads blasting Koster for opposing abortion rights, which he does in every instance except if the life of the mother is in danger. Koster’s campaign has a negative ad running against DelBene, panning her economic plan as burdensome to the middle class.

Koster has been working to moderate his social views, saying on KING 5 this weekend that he would “uphold the law” on abortion, saying, “My personal views are my personal views.”

The poll also asked 610 likely (or already returned a ballot) voters in the 1st district who they support for governor and president. Respondents split, with 50 percent supporting Rob McKenna over Jay Inslee (42 percent), but 48 percent supporting Barack Obama for president, versus Mitt Romney’s 45 percent.