Washington

In the 2016 general election, Hillary Clinton won Washington state with 52.54% of the vote, compared with Donald Trump’s 36.83%. Washington has become a stronghold for Democrats. The Democratic presidential candidate has carried Washington in the last eight presidential elections, including Michael Dukakis in 1988. The state now has a Democratic governor and two Democratic US senators, plus Democrats compose a majority of the US House delegation and control the state Legislature. Democratic support in Washington state is largely centralized in Seattle and surrounding King County. Republicans run best in the more sparsely populated and rural eastern part of the state. The battle for control of the state is usually fought in the outlying Seattle suburbs. Spokane, with its heavy manufacturing agricultural presence, is home to a large population of independent-minded blue-collar workers who can lean in either direction.