We have to give Chris Vance some credit. In an election year that has reached new lows, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate has run a civil campaign focused squarely on the issues. His race has been that of a liberal Republican, focused on tighter accounting for Social Security and a measured critique of Obamacare that stays committed to the principle that all people in America should have health care. With Trumpism imploding, we can only hope that Vance’s style of politics comes back into vogue in the GOP. However, in this race, Vance does not succeed in making the case that we should replace sitting Sen. Patty Murray. She too has eschewed the firebrand style of politics for a far more collaborative approach. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which Murray crafted with House Speaker Paul Ryan, established a framework that has helped end the brinksmanship budgeting that had been a hallmark of Congress in previous years, and she has continued to work with Ryan to craft budget measures that avoid partisan rancor. Meanwhile, Murray has worked to secure federal funds for light rail in Seattle and been a strong advocate for reproductive rights and a healthy environment. Vance would likely serve us fine in the Senate (for a Republican). But unfortunately for him, the job is already ably taken.

Read the rest of Seattle Weekly’s endorsements for the 2016 general election here.