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Congresistas temen que ICE compre el centro de detención de Tacoma
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Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Democratic · 3 November 2026
Adam Smith
U.S. Representative for Washington's 9th congressional district (since 1997)
Adam Smith, a Democrat who has represented Washington's 9th congressional district in the U.S. House since 1997, faces Republican Doug Basler in the 2026 general election after both advanced from the top-two primary.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Adam Smith.
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Recent media coverage for Adam Smith.
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Inland Journal: Washington Supreme Court candidates
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No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- June 15, 1965
- Birthplace
- Washington, D.C.
- Education
- Tyee High School (1983)
Western Washington University
Fordham University (Bachelor of Arts in political science, 1987)
University of Washington School of Law (Juris Doctor, 1990)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Adam Smith was born on June 15, 1965, in Washington, D.C., and was raised in SeaTac, Washington, after being adopted as an infant by Leila June (née Grant) and his maternal uncle Ben Martin Smith III. His father worked for United Airlines as a ramp serviceman and was active in the Machinists' Union.
Smith graduated from Tyee High School in 1983, attended Western Washington University in Bellingham for a year, and graduated from Fordham University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.
He received a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington in 1990, having worked his way through college by loading trucks for United Parcel Service.
Career
Smith entered elected politics in 1990, when at age 25 he defeated 13-year Republican incumbent Eleanor Lee to become the nation's youngest state senator, and he served in the Washington State Senate from 1991 to 1997. During that period he practiced law with Cromwell, Mendoza & Belur, served as a prosecutor for Seattle from 1993 to 1995, and worked temporarily as a pro tem judge in 1996.
Smith won his seat in the U.S. House in 1996 by defeating Republican incumbent Randy Tate with 50.4% of the vote, and he has been reelected 14 times. He chaired the House Armed Services Committee from 2019 to 2022 and is now its Ranking Member.
He belongs to the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is the dean of Washington's House delegation.
In 2022 he defeated Doug Basler in the general election for the fourth time, and in 2024 he won a fifteenth term with 65.4% of the vote against Democrat Melissa Chaudhry.
2026 race
Adam Smith is the incumbent in Washington's 9th congressional district, which covers southern and eastern Seattle, southern Bellevue, and most of Renton, Kent, Auburn, and Federal Way.
In the state's top-two blanket primary, Smith placed first with 47.1% of the vote, and Republican Doug Basler, a perennial candidate, placed second with 21.8%.
Former Seattle city councilor Kshama Sawant, running as an independent, finished third with 17.3%, ahead of Democrat Melissa Chaudhry and Socialist Workers candidate Jacob Perasso. Smith and Basler advance to the general election on November 3, 2026.