Washington State Election Result Update

With three days of ballot counting complete, the initial returns from Tuesday evening in all statewide executive positions and the four ballot measures will remain unchanged, with Democrats sweeping the statewide seats and I-2066 on natural gas service alone among the four initiatives to be in a position to pass.

In the battleground legislative races, numbers remain too close to call in the three remaining districts that will determine the extent of Democratic majority control in the State Senate. In the 10^th District (Oak Harbor) Senate race, incumbent Ron Muzzall (R) has pulled ahead of Janet St. Clair (D) at 574 votes.  In the 17^th District (Vancouver) Senate open race, Paul Harris (R) has pulled 1,149 votes ahead of Marla Keethler (D), and in the 18^th District (Battleground) Senate open race, Adrian Cortes (D) continues to lead Brad Benton (R), but now by 354 votes, a margin that has been trending Benton’s way in later ballots. With a current 29-20 majority in the Senate, Democrats are poised to add one seat which would give them a 30-19 60 percent supermajority, but it remains too close to definitively call.

In the House, where Democrats hold a 58-40 majority, at least one seat appears to have flipped. In the 26^th District (Gig Harbor) open race, Jesse Young (R) continues to trail Adison Richards (D), now by nearly 3,000 votes. This would give House Democrats a 59-39 60 percent supermajority.  Other House races in contention include the 17^th District open race, where David Stuebe (R) leads Terri Niles (D) by only 147 votes, and the 18^th District open race where John Ley (R) leads John Zingale (D) by approximately 1,300 votes. These remain close, although late ballots in both districts historically trend Republican.