Jayapal wins 7th District U.S. House seat with 87.5%

Queen Anne, Magnolia and Ballard voters sent Rep. Pramila Jayapal back to Congress with 87.5% of the vote. Jayapal, a Democrat, received 226,976 votes in Washington's 7th Congressional District race. Republican challenger Nirav Sheth received 31,292 votes, or 12.1%, according to unofficial results from Washington Secretary of State. All reporting units have reported. Jayapal's margin was 195,684 votes, or 75.4 percentage points.

What the candidates said

In a Nov. 3 press release, Jayapal celebrated Democratic and progressive wins across King County and the country, according to the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber. "Tonight is a win for democracy," Jayapal said. "Tonight we celebrate major wins. Tomorrow, we start organizing to deliver for the voters who put their trust in us."

What was at stake

The 7th District seat represents Seattle in the U.S. House. Jayapal serves on the House Judiciary, Foreign Affairs and Budget committees. She holds the ranking member position on the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement.

The key issues:

• Immigration: Jayapal has pushed for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and changes to enforcement and detention policies.
• Health care: Jayapal is the lead House sponsor of Medicare for All legislation.
• Public safety: Sheth campaigned on public safety and crime enforcement, highlighting Initiative 2113, which restored police pursuit authority in Washington state.

A little history

Jayapal, first elected in 2016, was the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House. Born in India, she came to the United States at 16 and attended Georgetown University. She later earned an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, according to the Economic Times.

Before Congress, she founded OneAmerica, an immigrant advocacy organization, and served in the Washington State Senate from 2015 to 2017. She is Chair Emerita of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Sheth, also born in India, came to the United States in 2008. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2011 to 2014 and earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Massachusetts. Sheth has also worked as a business owner and company president, according to the Economic Times.

What's next

The results remain unofficial. King County's website will update daily at 4:30 p.m., according to the Beachcomber. The County Canvassing Board is set to finish the canvass by Nov. 24, followed by the Secretary of State's deadline of Dec. 3.

Election results: U.S. House of Representatives - Washington 7th Congressional District (Washington General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Washington Secretary of State. Results current as of Nov. 5, 2026, 3:38 p.m. PST. Reporting: 1 of 1. Unofficial results; every reporting unit has reported.