Upset Brief · WA-09 · Doug Basler (R) vs. Adam Smith (D), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 39.9-point national wave.
0%
odds today
0%
odds with the plan
103,848
net votes to find
36
days left; voting starts October 16
Where
- 01+32Bellevue Precinct 41-3583 (King County)Starting line Smith +27. 11.6% split their ticket.
- 02+29Bellevue Precinct 41-2556 (King County)Starting line Smith +26. 11.0% split their ticket.
- 03+28Mercer Island Precinct 41-0793 (King County)Starting line Smith +52. 12.3% split their ticket.
- 04+27Bellevue Precinct 41-2429 (King County)Starting line Smith +36. 9.8% split their ticket.
- 05+27Federal Way Precinct 30-3017 (King County)Starting line Smith +25. 9.5% split their ticket.
- 06+26Renton Precinct 11-1018 (King County)Starting line Smith +26. 9.1% split their ticket.
The top 12 precincts carry 5% of the plan.
How
- P+5,844Persuade5,844 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Smith today.
- M+32MobilizeFew precincts give Basler's side 55 percent or more, so turnout is a small lever here; the plan leans on persuasion instead.
- C+328ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the closest places on the map.
Plus a national shift of 39.9 points of margin (97,644 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Basler wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Smith.
- It would take a national shift of about 39.9 points toward Basler's side, larger than any midterm swing in recent memory.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression840 precincts, R² 0.989, 137 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 7-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -126,365 to -69,107 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through July 15Basler $5,021 cash on hand; Smith $869,549.
- 04Call program for this list9,155 households, 27,465 dials, about 1,439 live conversations: an estimated $4,313 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Washington Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 27, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.