Republicans Dunn, Jensen concede race for Congress; Larkin to face Democratic incumbent Schrier
WASHINGTON - Republican businessman Matt Larkin will likely face off against Democratic incumbent Kim Schrier on the November ballot for a seat representing the 8th Congressional District. Larkin will be on the ballot after Republican candidates Reagan Dunn and Jesse Jensen conceded from the race.
The 8th District spans both sides of the Cascade Mountains and encompasses eastern King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, as well as Kittitas and Chelan counties.
"I just called Matt Larkin to congratulate him on his primary victory. Matt ran an honorable and positive campaign, and I am proud to endorse him in this November's election. Matt will make a wonderful Congressman and I encourage all of my supporters to support him as well," Dunn said in a statement to supporters.
In a tweet, Jensen also said that he had congratulated Larkin on being the Republican nominee "and the next Congressman for #WA08." He went on to say "I'll do all that I can to help him get elected here in November."
Dunn had been in third place since election night but had held out hope that later ballots in King County would help him close the gap, and Jensen was polling in fourth.
Returns from Aug. 4 show Larkin polling at 17.1%, with 28,208 votes. Before conceding, Dunn had 14.6% of the votes (24,160 votes) and Jensen had 13% (or 21,514 votes) as of Aug. 4.
With no major Democratic challengers, AP called the race on election night for Schrier, who had nearly 48% of the vote. AP did not yet call the race for the second opponent running for the 8th District who would face Schrier in November, since Larkin, Dunn, and Jesse Jensen were initially too close to call.
Schrier was elected to Congress in the 2018 midterms, and Larkin has never been held elected office. The seat was long-held by Republicans before Schrier was elected.
Dunn's full statement read:
Friends,
I just called Matt Larkin to congratulate him on his primary victory. Matt ran an honorable and positive campaign, and I am proud to endorse him in this November's election. Matt will make a wonderful Congressman and I encourage all of my supporters to support him as well.
I am proud of the campaign we ran, and I look forward to continuing to serve this area on the King County Council. I will keep fighting for the values I ran on, supporting our law enforcement heroes and ensuring fiscal responsibility. I will continue in my commitment to be a voice of reason on the County Council, and push back against extreme and irresponsible policies. Now more than ever, we need local leaders in King County who will stand up for what's right, not what's politically expedient.
Most importantly, I want to say thank you. Thank you to all of my supporters for volunteering your time, donations, and energy to helping me in this endeavor. You gave me the courage to keep pressing forward when times got tough.
And of course, I want to thank my wife and amazing children for the patience and love they showed throughout this process. I am eternally grateful to have had them by my side on this campaign. There is no greater job I could ever have than that of being a father to my beautiful children.
Once again, thank you to all of you for going with me on this amazing journey. It has been an honor.