U.S. House, Washington 1st Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Washington's 1st Congressional District?
Suzan DelBene has the strongest record in Washington's 1st Congressional District. Suzan DelBene scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Suzan DelBene's highest marks are relevant experience and showing up. Mary Silva (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Suzan DelBene
62 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 63
Republican
Mary Silva
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Suzan DelBene
- Mark against2023-06-14
Filed a periodic transaction report on June 14, 2023 disclosing two sales of her husband's Microsoft stock 288 and 105 days after they occurred, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20023100, Fox News, June 27, 2023
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to the certified electoral votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
- Credit2022-10-10
Sponsored H.R. 8982, the Bulk Infant Formula to Retail Shelves Act, suspending duties on imported infant formula base powder; it was signed into law Oct. 10, 2022.
- Credit2020
Was the primary sponsor of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (H.R. 8810, 116th Congress), which GovTrack lists among her eight enacted bills.
Source: GovTrack, enacted legislation
- Credit2019
Was the primary sponsor of the Faster Access to Federal Student Aid Act of 2019 (H.R. 5368, 116th Congress), which GovTrack lists as enacted.
Source: GovTrack, enacted legislation
Mary Silva
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Suzan DelBene. Her 2025 annual disclosure was filed May 14, 2026. A June 2023 periodic transaction report disclosed two sales of her husband's Microsoft stock 288 and 105 days after they occurred; one established outlet (Fox News) reported it, so E16 is not met.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20023100, Fox News, June 27, 2023, House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076133
Mary Silva. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, and a 2024 candidate financial disclosure is on file with the House Clerk. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10059880, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Suzan DelBene. No public record found.
Mary Silva. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Suzan DelBene. Gave an unscripted public radio interview on immigration enforcement and the midterms in January 2026, and has held an annual public forum in Point Roberts (the eighth in 2021). No 2026 general election debate or forum record found.
Sources: KNKX, Jan. 28, 2026, The Northern Light, Oct. 7, 2021
Mary Silva. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Suzan DelBene. Directed the state Department of Revenue and has served in the House since 2012. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Suzan DelBene, House Committee on Ethics site search for DelBene
Mary Silva. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Suzan DelBene. Has held sworn office in the House since November 2012. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electoral votes. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Ballotpedia, Suzan DelBene
Mary Silva. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Suzan DelBene. In the U.S. House since November 2012; earlier directed the Washington State Department of Revenue and was a Microsoft corporate vice president.
Sources: GovTrack, Suzan DelBene, Ballotpedia, Suzan DelBene
Mary Silva. Has worked as an audiologist for about 20 years and holds a Doctor of Audiology from Salus University. Has not held public office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Suzan DelBene. Serves on the Ways and Means Committee and its Oversight, Tax and Trade subcommittees, and publishes issue pages on housing, health care, privacy and other topics.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Campaign site, About
Mary Silva. Publishes a platform with positions on technology manufacturing, H-1B visas, a Pentagon audit, voter ID and surveillance, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Suzan DelBene. Offers an e-newsletter and casework pages on her office site, publishes campaign issue pages and holds public forums. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Campaign site, About, The Northern Light, Oct. 7, 2021, Ballotpedia, Suzan DelBene
Mary Silva. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026 and publishes an issues page.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mary Silva, Campaign site, Issues
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Suzan DelBene. Lives in Medina, per The Herald. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 75 percent of itemized individual contributions from Washington.
Sources: The Herald (Everett), July 15, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Mary Silva. Lives in Everett, per The Herald. Her single itemized FEC contribution reported by state in 2025 to 2026 is $250 from Washington of $500 itemized.
Sources: The Herald (Everett), July 15, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Suzan DelBene. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. Previously directed the state Department of Revenue.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Mary Silva. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Suzan DelBene. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.261 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.543, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: her Bulk Infant Formula to Retail Shelves Act was signed into law Oct. 10, 2022.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 8982 (117th Congress)
Mary Silva. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Suzan DelBene. Missed 41 of 7,663 roll call votes, 0.5 percent, from November 2012 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Mary Silva. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Suzan DelBene. Keeps a district office in Bellevue open weekdays and offers casework help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, office locations, Office site, home page
Mary Silva. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Suzan DelBene. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.68119 in the latest posted House scores (2023), ranked 261 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Mary Silva. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Suzan DelBene. No public record found.
Mary Silva. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Washington's 1st Congressional District?
Suzan DelBene has the strongest record in Washington's 1st Congressional District. Suzan DelBene scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Suzan DelBene's highest marks are relevant experience and showing up. Mary Silva (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Washington's 1st Congressional District in 2026?
Suzan DelBene (Democratic, incumbent), Mary Silva (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Suzan DelBene a good candidate for Congress?
Suzan DelBene scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Mary Silva a good candidate for Congress?
Mary Silva has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Washington race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Washington 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.