2000 United States Senate election in Washington
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, and a fourth overall, but he was unseated for a second time by a very narrow margin (the first time being in 1986) by former Congresswoman Maria Cantwell. The race was the most expensive contest in the state's history at the time.
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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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By a margin of 0.09%, this election was the closest race of the 2000 Senate election cycle. Cantwell's victory was credited to her strength in the Puget Sound suburbs of Seattle, where she performed well. The campaign proved an expensive affair, with Cantwell spending almost $10 million of her own money she made at RealNetworks on her campaign.
Maria Cantwell's inauguration marked the first time since 1981 where Democrats held both Senate seats from Washington.