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NOVEMBER 8, 2000

Note: Story updated at 5:30 AM EST.

With 97 percent of the precincts reporting results in Washington, Slade Gorton appears to have come from behind to keep his Senate seat.

Based on preliminary results from the Voting News Service, who conducts exit polls nationwide, and an analyses of raw voting numbers, Gorton was declared the loser early Wednesday morning. But like the Presidential race, that changed as numbers throughout the state rolled in, showing Gorton clinging to a tight lead over Cantwell.

The senior member of Congress has faced a tough challenge from his Democratic challenger. A former Representative, Cantwell's campaign focused on a variety of issues but came down to one factor.

New blood.

The efffects of the race in Washington have a great effect outside of the state. Long considered an enemy to tribal sovereignty, Gorton's views on Indian issues have been attacked by tribal leaders and Native Americans for years.

But without a significant voter base in the state -- Native Americans are less then 2 percent of the population -- Indian voters are unable alone to unseat Gorton.

That appeared to change this year, however, as tribal leaders in the state and elsewhere joined together with pro-Cantwell movement. The First Americans Education Project also weighed in on the campaign, running ads criticizing Gorton's record on non-tribally related issues.

Still, some are worried about a possibility that Gorton's career on Capitol Hill and direct involvement in Indian affairs won't end even if he loses the race. With Bruce Babbitt leaving his post as Secretary of Interior, some have suggested Gorton to fill the vacancy.

Gorton currently is chairman of the Senate subcommittee on Interior Appropriations, which oversees funding for the Department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This year the BIA and the Indian Health Service saw their largest funding increase ever in the appropriations bill Gorton brought to the Senate floor.

Get the latest numbers:
Washington Senate Results (The Washington Post)

Relevant Links:
First American Education Project - www.first-americans.net
Slade Gorton - www.slade2000.com
Maria Cantwell - www.cantwell2000.com

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