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Election results from top races: 8th District battle stays tight

Republican Dino Rossi easily advanced to the November ballot in the race for the 8th Congressional District. Democrats Kim Schrier and Jason Rittereiser are in a tight race to challenge him.
Results as of Wednesday, August 8

New primary elections results dropped Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. Some of the tightest races are still too close to call.

>> VIEW FULL PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS

U.S. House 8th District

Republican Dino Rossi easily advanced in the race for Washington's 8th Congressional District as the GOP tries to hold on to a seat they've controlled since it was created. He currently holds 43 percent of the vote.

Democrats Kim Schrier and Jason Rittereiser are in a tight race to challenge Rossi. Schrier has the slight edge as of Thursday with 18.8 percent of the vote. Rittereiser follows with 17.9 percent.

Longtime 8th District incumbent Dave Reichert is retiring. A Republican has held the position since it was created in 1980.

The district includes the eastern suburbs of Seattle and stretches into the rural Cascade Mountains. It is among about two dozen across the country that are held by Republicans but whose voters chose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump, making it a critical potential pickup for the Democrats trying to gain control of the House for the first time since 2010.

The 8th District race is a primary target of Democrats looking to pick up a seat in the House.

The 8th District is vast and diverse, spanning 7,000 square miles and four counties, including parts of Chelan, Kittitas, King, and Pierce counties.

Republicans have controlled the 8th District since its inception; however, it's voted for Democratic presidents in the past, including Hillary Clinton in 2016.

RELATED: Complete 8th District race coverage

U.S. House 9th District

Longtime Rep. Adam Smith is advancing to the general election with a comfortable lead. First-time candidate Sarah Smith made an attempt to shake up the 9th District, and after the third release of ballots, has now inched into the second position ahead of Republican candidate Doug Basler.

Rep. Smith held almost 50 percent of the votes Thursday, while less than half a percent separated Smith and Basler. Basler has run against Rep. Smith twice before.

Smith was nominated by Brand New Congress, a group formed by Bernie Sanders supporters that aims to upturn the political establishment. She was following the path of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who unseated incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley, D-New York, in the June primary and was also backed by Brand New Congress.

The heavily Democratic 9th District covers parts of King and Pierce counties, including South Seattle, Bellevue, the Port of Tacoma, Renton, Kent, Tukwila, Des Moines, and Federal Way.

U.S. Senate

A whopping 28 candidates filed to challenge incumbent Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat who’s seeking her fourth term.

Cantwell is maintaining a substantial lead in the race with 55 percent of the overall vote. Former Washington State GOP Chairman Susan Hutchison will challenge Cantwell in the November general election. She earned 24 percent of the vote as of Wednesday.

Hutchison has established herself as the Republican front-runner. Hutchison stepped down as chair earlier this year but didn’t file her candidacy for U.S. Senate until just before the deadline in May.

State Senate 34th District

A crowded field of candidates fought to replace Senate Majority Leader Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island, who announced her retirement following the past legislative session.

Joe Nguyen and Shannon Braddock, both Democratic candidates, pulled ahead of the other five Democrats, two Republicans, one Independent, and one candidate without a party preference have filed.

The 34th District covers West Seattle, North Highline, Vashon and Maury Islands, and parts of Burien.

Pierce County prosecutor

New challenger Mary Robnett is leading incumbent Mark Lindquist in the race for Pierce County Prosecutor. Robnett worked in the prosecutor’s office for 18 years.

Lindquist was appointed to the position by the Pierce County Council in 2009 and was re-elected to the position twice.

Robnett said in an interview in February she’s running against Lindquist, because she was “disappointed” in the way he ran the office.

Lindquist has faced accusations of retaliation and prosecutorial misconduct. In March, a judge ruled Lindquist violated the Public Records Act by not releasing text messages related to a sabotage investigation.

As of Wednesday, Robnett is leading the race with 55 percent of the vote to Lindquist's 45 percent. Both advance to the general election in November.

Balance of power

All seats in the State House and half of the seats in the State Senate are up for grabs, which means both parties will be fighting for the balance of power in Olympia.

Currently, Democrats hold a majority in both chambers: 50-48 in the House and 25-24 in the Senate.

Republicans say if they can flip one seat in the House, they will effectively have a tie. They are targeting Democrats in swing districts or districts they perceive to trend Republican. That includes the 19th District, which covers Aberdeen, Montesano, and Longview, and the 24th District, which covers Port Angeles, Port Townsend, and Hoquiam.

Democrats are also targeting swing districts, particularly in King County and the South Sound, hoping to ride momentum from the midterms.

Statewide voter turnout hovered around 26 percent, and King County was at 24.67 percent. The Secretary of State’s Office expects close to 40 percent turnout after all ballots have been counted.

WATCH: Secretary of State Kim Wyman talks election security, voter turnout

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