(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) Washington state GOP Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley has turned a safe Democrat race into a toss-up by hammering incumbent Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., for her radical stances on crime, inflation and late-term abortion.
Two new polls from late October show Smiley and Murray in a statistical tie, RealClearPolitics reported.
Trafalgar Group surveyed 1,207 likely voters from Oct. 25 to 28 and found that 49.4% support Murray while 48.2% support Smiley, KTTH reported. With a 2.9% margin of error, the poll revealed a statistical tie.
On Oct. 31, American Greatness and Insider Advantage asked 550 likely voters in Washington who they planned to support in the Senate race.
Murray earned 48% support compared to Smiley’s 46%. The 4.2% margin of error affirmed a statistical tie.
Despite Washington’s heavily Democrat electorate, Smiley has closed the gap by persuading most independent voters to support her.
The 39-year-old Smiley, a mother of three whose husband was wounded in Iraq, benefited from a televised debate.
Her youth and energy contrasted sharply with 71-year-old Murray’s white hair and worn-out talking points. First elected in 1992, Murray has been in the Senate for 30 years.
Don’t underestimate @SmileyforWA.
She has the message and the momentum. https://t.co/77rlMjSKxf
— GOP (@GOP) November 2, 2022
In response to the poll results, RealClearPolitics has changed the Washington Senate race from “likely Democrat” to “toss up”, though RCP still predicts a Democrat win.
On America’s Newsroom, Smiley said she has focused on bipartisan and common sense issues that bring Biden voters onto her side, Fox News reported.
“These issues aren’t Democrat or Republican, they’re American issues,” she said. “I’m meeting with voters who did vote for Joe Biden and are voting for me.”
Smiley said she has raised more money than Murray.
“The groundswell is real. People are excited, they want change,” she said.
“In every crowd, I say, ‘We are more alike than we are different.’ It is time for unity. This is about the future of our children in this country.”
