Washington's 3rd Congressional District

Washington's 3rd congressional district encompasses the southernmost portion of Western Washington, from Olympia south to the Columbia River. It includes the counties of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, and Clark, and the majority of Thurston and Skamania counties. The 3rd District is represented by Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler.

Established after the 1900 census, the Third District was represented by Democrats for most of the latter half of the 20th century, until Rep. Jolene Unsoeld was defeated by maverick Republican Linda Smith as part of the Republican Revolution of 1994. Smith retired after two terms and was succeeded by Democrat Brian Baird.

In presidential elections, the 3rd District is rather competitive, unlike most of western or eastern Washington. It is one of the few districts in the country that cannot be considered safe for either party. George W. Bush narrowly carried the district in 2000 with 48% of the vote and again in 2004 with 50%. The district swung Democratic in 2008, giving Barack Obama 52% of the vote and 46% to John McCain. Baird announced he wouldn't run for reelection in 2010. Republican Jaime Herrera won the open seat in the 2010 general election by defeating Democrat Denny Heck 53%-47% and succeeded Baird.