Not a whole lot changed after Wednesday’s relatively small ballot drop, which is typical of the first drop after election day, says King County Elections. (At the county level, only 63,000 ballots were included in today’s update.) Most of the ballots put in drop boxes on Election Day are only just starting to be processed, and will be included in much larger drops on Thursday and Friday. King County Elections spokesperson Halei Watkins says she anticipates total county turnout to reach about 37 percent when all is said and done.
Looking at the most interesting contests, it’s shaping up to be quite the narrow race for Legislative District 32 state senator. Incumbent Jesse Salomon is trailing challenger Rep. Cindy Ryu. It’s not a huge lead, but Ryu now has 41 percent to Salomon’s nearly 39 percent. A douse of cold water ahead of the long campaign trail between now and November. Salomon does love an extreme sport!
In Legislative District 37, Kelabe Tewolde is gaining on 27-year incumbent Sharon Tomiko Santos. Tewolde added nearly a percentage point to his vote share in Wednesday’s drop, bringing him up to 46.6 percent. Santos is still comfortably in the lead with 52.6 percent. Both will make it through the primary, but Tewolde’s numbers show an upset could be possible.
There isn’t much change up north in the 46th District between incumbent Gerry Pollet and the two challengers squabbling for a chance to face him in the general election, Ron Davis and Will Dreher. Pollet dipped down about half a percent; Dreher and Davis gained less than that. Unless a miracle happens, Davis and his 14.16 percent vote share are doomed. Good news for Rondezvous stans.
The one Seattle City Council race this year has its two finalists: Nilu Jenks and Julie Kang. Jenks added to her lofty lead and now has 50.4 percent of the vote. Kang is hanging on with 36 percent.
Rep. Nicole Macri clobbered her fresh-faced challenger Alby Clendennin (the IV), who earned only 7.8 percent of the vote.
Looking statewide, the Washington State Supreme Court cases haven’t shifted much. Mike Diaz and Jamie Hawk are still close for second in the Position 3 race. Whoever pulls it out will face conservative Mason County Superior Court judge David Stevens this fall. Currently, Hawk has a 1.7 percent lead. The other Supreme Court races are static.
In Congressional District 9, Kshama Sawant gained slightly, and her chances of beating out Republican Doug Basler for second are basically zero (she has 13 percent to his 24 percent of the vote). Looks like another Sen. Adam Smith November for the Democrats. Sawant and Melissa Chaudhry, with 11.5 percent, are splitting the progressive lane. Smith and his 50 percent of the vote have his general election spot locked down, and since he crushed Basler in 2020 and 2022, his path back to Congress seems clear.
