In an election for US House of Representatives in Washington State’s 8th Congressional District today, 10/21/10, incumbent Republican Dave Reichert defeats Democratic challenger Suzan DelBene 52% to 45%, according to this latest exclusive KING-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA.

Compared to a SurveyUSA poll released 3 weeks ago, the race is unchanged. Reichert has momentum among voters age 35 to 49. DelBene has offsetting momentum among voters age 50 to 64.

As it has in other geographies, SurveyUSA here probes to see if those who rarely vote in congressional elections, but who say they are uniquely motivated to vote in 2010, are voting Republican. One theory underlying much of the 2010 campaign narrative is that Republicans are uniquely motivated, Democrats uniquely dispirited. In WA-08, SurveyUSA finds Reichert ahead by nearly identical 5:4 margins among both those who rarely and those who always vote in Congressional elections. But: voters who say they are more enthusiastic about voting in 2010 than in past elections vote Republican 2:1, while those less enthusiastic about voting in 2010 vote Democrat 2:1.

Reichert is seeking a 4th term. Washington’s 8th Congressional District, first created after the 1980 census, never has been held by a Democrat.