DelBene gets a month's head start on her new colleagues

Democrat Suzan DelBene will get a head start on her fellow colleagues that were elected last night.

DelBene beat Republican John Koster, who ran twice before unsuccessfully, in the race to replace retired Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.). Inslee decided to run for governor of Washington instead, and won Tuesday night.

Because Inslee left his post in the House early, Washington voters in the 1st District also decided who would finish his term for the month of December. Conceivably, a candidate could have been elected to represent the district for one month and then lose the election to serve in the 113th Congress. But DelBene won both races, meaning she’ll get one month under her belt before the rest of the 113th Congress arrives in January.

DelBene’s extra month during the lame-duck session will provide her with more experience, especially with critical votes likely to occur on tax rates and sequestration.

DelBene, a multimillionaire and former Microsoft vice president, pulled off a deceive win when many thought the race would be close. On Wednesday afternoon, The Seattle Times reported that she had 53.6 percent of the vote against Koster’s 46.4 percent.

DelBene spent nearly $3 million of her own money on her campaign, while the Republican National Party didn’t supply much financial support to Koster.

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