"Inslee, Dicks retain Congressional seats"

"Jay Inslee will serve a second term representing Washington's 1st Congressional District.Good win, said Inslee, a Bainbridge Island resident, in an acceptance speech in Shoreline.Inslee easily outdistanced challenger Dan McDonald, taking 55 percent of the vote in mid-evening returns, and holding a seat that has swung like a gate over the past decade.Among Kitsap County voters, Inslee pulled in 53 percent of the vote in mid-evening showings.Throughout the campaign, Inslee campaigned on his service to district constituents.A member of the House banking committee, he responded to an inquiry from a Bainbridge resident by introducing legislation to prohibit banks from sharing or selling account information unless the account-holder consents. It passed, although it was weakened by amendments.He also stood on his efforts at campaign finance reform, and a strong environmental record.McDonald, from Kirkland, had served as a state senator since 1984 before resigning earlier this year to challenge Inslee.The horseshoe-shaped 1st District takes in Bainbridge Island, the Kitsap Peninsula from Silverdale north, portions of northern King County and southern Snohomish County, and wraps around the east side of Lake Washington to encompass Redmond, northern Bellevue and much of the Eastside high-tech corridor.The district is considered one of the few true swing districts in the country, and waffled between the parties throughout the decade. Voters turned out a Republican for Democrat Maria Cantwell in 1992, replaced her with Republican Rick White in 1994, then went with Democrat Inslee in 1998.Inslee grew up in north Seattle, and graduated from Ingraham High School, the UW and Willamette Law School in Oregon. He practiced law in Yakima for years, then was elected to the state Legislature in 1988 and to Congress in 1992. He served a single term in representing an Eastern Washington district, and was defeated in 1994, later moving to Bainbridge. "