General Election 2019: Results from key races around the Puget Sound region

KNKX Public Radio is fanning out across the region for 2019 general election coverage. They’re your eyes and ears on the ground, talking with candidates and voters regarding results and reaction. Check back for updates as this coverage develops tonight and in the coming days. If you haven’t already, catch up on our latest election coverage. 

UPDATE, Nov. 6: Women appear to be winning big this election in local races. A group called Emerge Washington trains and supports women in politics. Its executive director, Karen Besserman, says 18 Emerge candidates were on the ballot last night and so far, before Wednesday’s drop, 11 have won. 

Besserman says candidates from the program were represented up and down the ballot all across the state, from Spokane County on the east side of the Cascades to Tumwater in Western Washington.

Four Emerge candidates are in races that are yet to be decided. They include Kristin Ang, who is running for Port of Tacoma Position 3, and Senayet Negusse, who is running for SeaTac City Council. Besserman expects them to win.

“What I’m most proud about and most excited about,” she said, “70 percent of the Emerge-trained women who were on the ballot last night were women of color or LGBTQ.”

Emerge Washington was founded three years ago in response to the election of President Donald Trump. Nineteen of its trainees are currently in office, including U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier and state Sen. Mona Das. It is one of 28 affiliates across the country.

STATEWIDE

I-976

Approve 53%, Reject 47%

UPDATE, Nov. 6: The Tim Eyman-backed measure to cap car tab fees across Washington at $30 dollars is leading in early election results.

King County Council member Claudia Balducci says a big area of concern is the places where Initiative 976 cuts funding to bus services and improvement projects. She says the council is already making plans to bridge the funding gaps that would be left if the initiative passes.

“It’s disheartening in a way,” she said. “King County and my district in East King County are really strong for funding the transportation needs. We understand how important it is to our economy and our success and our people. And to have other parts of the state telling us we can’t fund our own stuff is very frustrating.”

Sound Transit will discuss the financial impacts of the initiative, and how much it affects current transit projects, at its next board meeting Nov. 21.

King County Executive Dow Constantine is asking the county's Prosecuting Attorney's Office to prepare a lawsuit that would challenge the constitutionality of Initiative 976. The last two measures voters passed to reduce car tab fees also made it to court. Balducci won re-election to the County Council in Tuesday's election.

UPDATE, Nov. 7:

The City of Seattle says it plans to join King County in suing to stop I-976 from going into effect.

"This is nullifying what what voters have already agreed to tax themselves," Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said in a press conference Thursday. "It's not overstating to state this proposal was a lie, a lie to voters."

Holmes says city and county lawyers will employ several strategies to challenge the constitutionality of I-976.

Seattle transportation officials say I-976 targets $32 million for transit service and other transportation improvements. If the initiative does go into effect, service cuts would likely start next spring.

Credit Ted S. Warren / The Associated Press

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The Associated Press

I-1000/R-88

UPDATE, Nov. 12:

Washington voters have said “no” to an effort to restore affirmative action in the state. On Tuesday afternoon, The Associated Press declared Referendum 88 was narrowly rejected.

As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, votes rejecting R-88 were ahead by about 14,000 — or less than 1 percent with about 56,000 ballots yet to be counted.

For the past week, the battle over R-88 has been too close to call. But now with most ballots counted, the Reject 88 campaign appears to have prevailed.

That means Washington’s new affirmative action law — known as Initiative 1000 — won’t take effect. The new law would once again have explicitly allowed affirmative action policies in public employment, contracting and education.

Majority Democrats in the Washington Legislature approved the measure earlier this year. Opponents then gathered signatures to put it on the ballot. In a statement declaring victory, the Reject 88 campaign said Washington voters have re-affirmed the “principle of Equality for All.”

In a separate statement, the pro-affirmative action Washington Fairness Coalition said the campaign has “ignited important conversations about structural racism and sexism” and vowed the work of the coalition will continue.

After briefly switching Friday afternoon, R-88 is once again being rejected as of 8:15 p.m. Nov. 8 by 9,754 votes.

KING COUNTY

Seattle City Council

District 1

Lisa Herbold 56%, Phil Tavel 44%

District 2

Tammy Morales 60%, Mark Solomon 39%

District 3

Kshama Sawant 52%, Egan Orion 48%

District 4

Alex Pedersen 52%, Shaun Scott 48%

District 5

Debora Juarez 61%, Ann Davison Sattler 39%

District 6

Dan Strauss 56%, Heidi Wills 44%

District 7

Andrew Lewis 53 %, Jim Pugel 47%. 

King County Council

District 2

Girmay Zahilay 60%, Larry Gossett 39%

Port of Seattle

Position 2

Sam Cho 61%, Grant Degginger 39%

Position 5

Fred Felleman 72%, Garth Jacobson 28%

Seattle School Board

District 1

Liza Rankin 55%, Eric Blumhagen 44%

District 3

Chandra Hampson 66%, Rebeca Muñiz 33%

District 6

Leslie Harris 66%, Molly Mitchell 34%

Highline School Board

District 1

Aaron Garcia 53%, Tracy Castro-Gill 46%

District 5

Fa’izah Bradford 55%, Jeanette Burrage 45%

Vashon Island Proposition 1 (hospital district)

Approve 71%, Reject 29%

PIERCE COUNTY

Tacoma City Council

At-Large Position 7

Conor McCarthy 69%, Courtney Love 30%

At-Large Position 8

Kristina Walker 59%, John O’Loughlin 40%

District 1

John Hines 52%, Nathe Lawver 48%

District 3

Keith Blocker 64%, David Combs 35%

Port of Tacoma 

Position 3

Deanna Keller 57%, Frank Boykin 42%

Position 5

Kristin Ang 51%, Dave Bryant 48%

Tacoma School Board

District 10, Position 1

Lisa Keating 51%, Debbie Winskill 48%

District 10, Position 2

Enrique Leon 67%, Kristopher Kerns 33%

Puyallup City Council 

At-Large

As of Nov. 12, Dean Johnson leads Heather Shadko by 67 votes.

District 1, Position 1

Robin Farris 52%, Curtis Thiel 47%

District 2, Position 1

John Palmer 53%, Paul Herrera 47%

District 3, Position 1

Ned Witting 64%, Curt Gimmestad 35%

Puyallup School Board

District 3, Position 3

Michael Keaton 61%, Amanda Cuthbert 38%

District 3, Position 5

Turan Kayaoglu 61%, Brock Carroll 38%

THURSTON COUNTY

Olympia Mayor

Cheryl Selby 53%, Nathaniel Jones 46%

Olympia City Council

Position 2

Jessica Bateman 66%, Phyllis Booth 33%

Position 3

Dani Madrone 70%, Matt Goldenberg 29%

WHATCOM COUNTY

County Executive

Satpal Sidhu 51%, Tony Larson 49%.