Initial WA State Primary Election Results Update

Good morning,

Yesterday, August 5, Washington held its primary election. Of the nine legislative races on the ballot this year, three feature unopposed candidates. Several of the contested races appear highly competitive and are worth watching closely.

As a reminder, Washington uses a top-two primary system, where the two candidates receiving the most votes—regardless of party—advance to the November 4 General Election. As a vote-by-mail state, ballots postmarked by 8:00 p.m. last night will still be counted, meaning final outcomes—especially in tight races—may take several days or weeks to determine.

We wanted to share some initial takeaways from last night’s election results. Please note that outcomes may shift as more ballots are counted in the coming days.

Key Races:

• LD 5 Senate: Democrat Victoria Hunt leads Republican Chad Magendanz by just under 1,400 votes (5%). This race remains competitive.
• LD 26 Senate: Republican Michelle Caldier holds a narrow lead—less than 100 votes—over Democrat Deb Krishnadasan. We expect this to be a tight and hard-fought race throughout.
• LD 48 Senate: Moderate Democrat Amy Walen trails Progressive Democrat Vandana Slatter by about 3,000 votes (21%). Past cycles have shown these D-on-D races can shift significantly post-primary.

Other Notable Races:

• LD 33 House: Both Democrats—Edwin Obras and Kevin Schilling—are likely to advance, with Obras leading by 11%.
• LD 41 House: Janice Zahn is strongly positioned, securing 62% of the vote. She’ll face a Republican in what looks to be a safe general.
• LD 48 House: Osman Salahuddin is in a commanding position with over 60% of the vote and is likely to secure re-election.

Three unopposed Races:

• LD 33 Senate: Tina Orwall (D) – 93.48%
• LD 34 Senate: Emily Alvarado (D) – 96%
  Running unopposed.
• LD 34 House: Brianna Thomas (D) – 95.77%
  Running unopposed.

We’ll continue to monitor and provide updates as new results come in.

Kris and Christine