Senn Defeated in Washington Senate Primary

Washington Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn, vying for a seat in the U.S. Senate, was defeated in Tuesdays Democratic primary by Internet software millionaire Maria Cantwell.

Cantwell, riding the surge of a $5 million campaign easily defeated Senn and will challenge Republican incumbent, Sen. Slade Gorton in November.

Gorton, who is eyeing his fourth term in the Senate, faced little competition on the Republican ticket but is considered vulnerable in a general election.

Cantwell, 41, won a seat in the state legislature in 1986, and a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, but lost her next campaign bid. In 1995 she helped establish a Seattle start-up company that later became RealNetworks Inc.

She funded most of her campaign advertising in her battle with Senn, a barrage credited with winning the election.