Washington, D.C. – The political momentum in Washington State is squarely behind veterans advocate and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley – so much so that The Cook Political Report made the following ratings change:
“Smiley is one of the GOP’s strongest candidates … we are seeing a trend of some erosion of Democrats’ advantage in the Pacific Northwest this cycle …
“Smiley’s ads touch on her personal story — how her husband was blinded in Afghanistan, she became his caregiver and then fought for him to remain on active duty. Smiley also rails against growing crime, homelessness and against Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan …
“[W]ith some shifts toward Republicans across the map, Washington has stood out as different from other races in the Solid Democratic column. As such, we are shifting our rating to Likely Democratic … this is a race that does merit watching in the closing weeks.”
Because of Smiley’s strengths, The Hill categorizes Washington State a “sleeper race”:
“The Senate race in Washington state [has] … the underdog Republican challenger raising substantially more money than the Democratic incumbent in the third quarter.
“Tiffany Smiley, the GOP nominee, reported raising $6 million in the third quarter and $2.5 million in cash on hand. Incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D) reported raising $3.6 million in the third quarter and reported $3.8 million in cash on hand.
“Republican strategists … say Murray could be more vulnerable than most political experts think …
“Caleb Heimlich, the chairman of the Washington state Republican Party, said Murray has spent too much time and energy attacking Smiley on the issue of abortion rights and not enough talking about financial pressures facing working-class families.”
Why is Smiley performing so well? Because she’s willing to take on Patty Murray, her failures and her establishment allies. As reported by The Associated Press:
“In her first political campaign, Republican Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley is going after Washington state’s most well-known institutions.
“For one, Patty Murray, the Democratic senator who has held the seat for the last 30 years and is seeking a sixth term. The Seattle Seahawks, Starbucks and The Seattle Times, home-grown, big-name organizations that she dismisses as ‘woke corporations’ for not wanting her to use their logos in her ads. The city of Seattle, which she’s denounced as liberal and crime-ridden …
“Smiley’s aggressive tactics echo that of Republican candidates across the country who are eager to take on the establishment while blaming Democrats for issues like rising crime rates …
“She has spent big running blistering ads blaming Murray for crime and inflation, especially high prices for gasoline and groceries.
“‘We’ve gotten worse under her watch,’ Smiley said.
“Highlighting problems in Seattle, the state’s largest city, is not a dangerous political strategy, said Caleb Heimlich, chair of the Washington State Republican Party.
“‘Seattle voters recognize their leaders are failing them,’ Heimlich said …
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