SEATTLE (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell has clinched re-election, defeating republican newcomer Michael Baumgartner to win her third term. In early returns Tuesday night, Cantwell led Baumgartner 60 percent to 40 percent. Cantwell, Washington state's junior senator, led from the start, amassing a war chest worth more than $8 million that dwarfed Baumgartner's effort, which added up to about one million dollars. Baumgartner is a first-term state senator from the Spokane area who previously worked as a foreign policy consultant.

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