SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Times reports that the National Rifle Association has been spending more money on state elections in Washington than any other state in recent years.
An analysis by the newspaper showed that candidate contributions totaling about $203,000 helped the campaigns for both the Washington state House and Senate between 2012 and 2016, the most recent election year for which reliable data is available from the National Institute of Money in State Politics, a nonpartisan organization that compiles campaign-finance information. Texas was a distant second over that period with $95,750, according to the newspaper’s analysis.
According to the data, which are a compilation of campaign-finance reports from all U.S. states, contributions to state-level candidates in Washington began ramping up in 2010, when Democrats had significant majorities in both chambers.
Currently, Democrats have a one-vote majority in the Washington state Senate and two-seat majority in the House.