For Congress: Dunn, Adam Smith, Joe Marine

For voters in the arc of cities and towns that sweep from Bainbridge Island to SeaTac, the choices for Congress again favor incumbents who have the strength of their office and often years of experience to prevent strong challengers from taking them on. But on their records, differences emerge, and on that basis, The Times recommends two Republicans and an incumbent Democrat in the districts that ring Seattle:

×Rep. Jennifer Dunn in the 8th District, which extends from Bellevue to the slopes of Mount Rainier, is the obvious choice in this heavily Republican district. Dunn advances in experience and leadership on transportation, child-protection legislation such as the Amber Alert movement and a variety of topics close to her district's interests. Dunn's main challenger is Democrat Heidi Behrens-Benedict, who rises every two years to test the incumbent's record. Her cause is respectable and welcome, but with no previous elected experience, she can't match Dunn's record.

×Democrat Rep. Adam Smith is well suited to the swing 9th District, which rolls from south King County to parts of Tacoma and Thurston County. He has shown a sharp mind on budgets and deficits and also represents his blue-collar, common-sense voters well on military issues and transportation. He has taken on stronger challengers than Republican Sarah Casada, and should win re-election easily. He deserves to return for a third term.

×Republican challenger Joe Marine is a more reliable vote in the 1st District, which includes Bainbridge Island, swings north of Seattle, then to the east of Redmond.

Incumbent Jay Inslee is expected to win his third term from this district, but his voting record is mixed and unpredictable. He voted against fast-track trade authority, a vote not helpful to Boeing or the region, while more independent Democrats saw the trade issue as important to Washington. He is capable of grandstanding, such as calling to cut off funding for Vice President Dick Cheney's electric bills. Inslee has been good on the important issue of pipeline safety, a point Marine concedes, but overall, Inslee has not made the case this year that his record matches his district's needs.