Jewish Democrat Wins Primary In Washington Swing Congressional District

Jewish Democrat Kim Schrier eked out a narrow primary victory against Jason Rittereiser to take on Republican Dino Rossi in a key Congressional race in Washington state.

The Associated Press called the win for Schrier, a pediatrician, who leads by a little more than 1,100 votes. The Democrat, who has the backing Emily’s List, is part of the party’s strategy of targeting swing suburban and exurban districts to flip at least 23 seats to regain a House majority.

She is also one of a several Jewish candidates expected to help boost the number of Jews in Congress.

Schrier has an especially good shot at winning with Republican incumbent Dave Reichert retiring in the Seattle-area district that has been trending more Democratic. Hillary Clinton won the district by a 3% margin.

Democrats also garnered more votes than Republicans in the open “jungle primary” — a sign pollsters say points strongly to a Schrier win in November.

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Rossi still has a big fundraising advantage, with more than $1,7 million cash on hand compared to Schrier’s $650,000.

Contact Ben Fractenberg at fractenberg@forward.com or on Twitter, @fractenberg