Democrat Sen. Patty Murray Retains Seat in Washington State

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a 30-year incumbent, has won reelection against Republican opponent Tiffany Smiley.

While it was a long shot, Republicans began to look favorably on it as a pickup opportunity closer to Election Day as Smiley started polling closer and even, in some polls, took the lead.

With 54 percent of the vote reporting, Murray leads Smiley 57 percent to 42.8 percent, according to NBC News.

Many expected the race to take longer to call given Smiley’s polling and ability to far outraise Murray.

The Smiley campaign released a statement on the eve of the election saying they “expect a victorious outcome at the end of this process,” but saying that the “BOTTOM LINE” is that “the race for U.S. Senate in Washington State SHOULD NOT be called on election night.”

Smiley started overcoming a massive disadvantage toward the end of the campaign, as Breitbart News reported, polling 47.4 percent to 47 percent against Murray.

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Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.