The Republican candidate pool for the office of one of Washington’s U.S. Senate seats narrowed this week.

State Senator Don Benton announced that he would end his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator Patty Murray.  Senator Benton went further by endorsing Republican candidate Dino Rossi.

Senator Murray is the only Democratic candidate running for this seat.  Given the recent decision by Sen. Benton, nine Republican candidates still remain active in the race for this seat. They include Dino Rossi, Arthur Coday Jr, Clint Didier, Wayne Glover, Scott Johnson, Rod Rieger, Sean Salazar, Chris Widener, and Craig Williams. Richard Curtis has filed as an independent in this race.