Results are still coming in, but things are looking awfully blue for the GOP in this year’s elections.
Due to Washington’s mail-in ballot voting system, some of the following races will take days to count all of the ballots. Because of this, the figures quoted in this article reflect the data published mid-afternoon Wednesday by the Secretary of State and King County Elections.
Between then and the time of publication, undoubtedly some of these races will shift, potentially altering the final outcome of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. and who sits in the legislature in Olympia.
For context, voter participation in mid-term general elections in the last decade have fluctuated. During those years, voter turnout was as follows: 2010 at 72%; 2014 at 53%; and 2018 at 75%, according to King County Elections.
This fluctuating trend in civic participation is reflected among some Highline students, like Rukia Adan. Studying electrical engineering, Adan said she did not vote because “I completely forgot. School has been taking up a lot of my attention.”
Young voters like Adan were not part of Democrats’ strategy to win like they have been in past years. Despite much doubt, focusing predominantly on abortion and the ‘threat of losing democracy’ itself in messaging by Democrats has paid off despite crime being a top issue among voters in many public opinion polls.
In one of King County’s countywide races, Leesa Manion appears to have won her outgoing boss’s seat for Prosecuting Attorney against Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell. Manion leads the race with 55.4% to Ferrell’s 44.1%.
After serving as Dan Satterburg’s Chief of Staff for 15 years, the voters have shown their support to continue the office’s policies on criminal justice reform and new programs addressing historical social injustices especially among young people.
“I am encouraged by early election results…We will continue to watch as ballots continue to be counted. Things look promising, and I am confident that my Campaign Team’s work…will make the difference that keeps us in the lead,” Manion said on Facebook.
In regards to the elections in southwest King County, the Republicans have not had any luck gaining seats for the State Legislature. For example, Democrats will continue to hold all three seats representing District 30.
For the district’s race for State Senate with only 46% of votes counted, Claire Wilson (D) holds a strong lead with 55.6% ahead of Linda Kochmar (R) with 44.2%. “YES! A good day indeed….” Wilson briefly said on Facebook.
For State Representative, Position 1, incumbent Jamila E. Taylor (D) will maintain her seat over challenger Casey Jones (R). As of Wednesday with 64% of votes counted, Jones with 44% is losing to Taylor holding the lead at 55.9%.
“The election results are promising. It’s clear this campaign has been about community. As we continue to emerge out of the global pandemic, residents seek tangible solutions to public safety concerns, expanded housing options, and shared economic prosperity. It’s clear we want to move our whole community forward. Together, we can create a future full of the ‘new possibilities,’” Taylor said on Facebook.
Jones campaigned to the very last minute on issues of crime and public safety. Voters apparently did not agree with his proposals regarding changes to the county’s prosecuting priorities, despite his background in law enforcement.
All the way up to the final hours on election day, several candidates continued to narrow their messages to voters on issues of crime and public safety.
This result is mirrored for Position 2 between Kristine Reeves (D) and Ashli Tagoa (R). Similarly with 64% of ballots counted, Reeves appears to be sent back to Olympia with 57.8% to Tagoai’s 42.2%.
Celebrating her potential win, Reeves said on Twitter, “With lots of votes left to be counted, we are taking nothing for granted, but are feeling optimistic that we’ve been given a second chance & a mandate to represent all our neighbors!”
As for the State Senate seat in District 33, Marliza Melzer (R) lost to incumbent Karen Keiser (D). After 52% of ballots counted, AP has declared Keiser has easily won re-election with 69% to Melzer’s 30.8%.
As of the time of writing, results are mixed between races for Congress in Washington’s Districts 8 and 9.
Covering south Seattle and the southeast area of Puget Sound’s coast, the picture is crystal clear in District 9 between incumbent Adam Smith (D) and Doug Basler (R). With roughly 52% of ballots counted as of the night of the election, AP swiftly called the race for Smith’s re-election, with 71% and 28.8% for Basler.
In comparison to their races in 2016 and 2020, their levels of support by voters remained about the same for both candidates. It appears that the only candidate that gave Smith a challenge was Sarah Smith’s campaign in 2018, a fellow Democrat who ran to Smith’s left as a progressive.
With another win under his belt, Smith thanked his supporters on Facebook.
“I believe one of the most important parts of my job is listening to my constituents…A District Nine with affordable housing, access to healthcare, quality education, environmental reform, and so much more…It is going to be a tough road ahead, but I will continue the fight for a better Ninth District,” Smith said online.
While Democrats maintaining a hold on District 9 was never truly in doubt, things could not be more different next door in neighboring District 8.
As previously stated in our article on the races for Congress, the possibility of flipping control of the House of Representatives partially relied on how voters in this district swung.
Kim Schrier was the first Democrat to hold the seat in decades and with concerns about crime and inflation being both national and local issues, Republicans were confident Matt Larkin would be one of the new elected officials carrying the party to power.
However, with only 64% of the district counted, the Associated Press has reported the race is “too early to call,” with Shrier at 62% and Larkin at 37.7%.
With thousands of ballots left to count in Democrat stronghold King County, Larkin’s campaign rebutted claims of his eventual defeat, stating there are thousands of ballots yet to be counted in the district’s rural areas.
“This was always going to be a close race, but we are feeling very good tonight. Like everyone else, I am awaiting the remaining results. In the meantime we will continue to ensure that every vote is counted and everyone’s voice is heard,” Schrier said on Twitter.
Assuming these figures remain roughly the same, this would mean Schrier has won her seat with greater support among voters. In her two previous races, she beat her Republican challengers with 58% of the final vote on average.
However, this analysis must be taken with a grain of salt given that at the time of writing, only 39.4% of registered voters in the district have had their ballots counted. In comparison to her first election in 2018, 74.1% of registered voters voted and increased to 85.2% in 2020. Again, we will have to wait for final numbers for a few days, if not weeks, so the final result will change potentially deciding who controls the U.S. House of Representatives.
The prospect of flipping control of Congress to Republicans has led some Highline students like Ousane Toure, thinking about former President Barack Obama’s second term.
When informed that his District 8 was a key battle ground that could determine power in Congress, Toure shared that it reminded him of when “Obama was trying to pass laws, but he couldn’t because Republicans had control of the House. There’s not much you can do.”
Originally from Philadelphia, Toure said he has observed that the people in Washington are much more political in comparison to his family and friends back home. He said he was pressured to vote by his parents, did not know much about the candidates or issues, and suspected that no substantial policy would be passed if the House flipped due to the “fighting back and forth, from changing things…vetoing between each other.”
Dominique Traore, another Highline student and originally from Guinea in west Africa, said he did vote but did not know much about “American politics.”
“I’m pretty sure that Republicans, once they get a hold of power in Congress they will definitely counter the policies of the Democrats and the President…Not because they care about the population…or their problem. Just to secure their position,” Traore said.
“I’m from a socialist country. Over there, it’s the voice of the people. No matter who you are or what you stand for, it’s the voice of the people. If you don’t have the voice of the people, nothing will happen. But it seems like it’s contrary in America. Here, it’s the profit deal that the politicians look after. It don’t matter what the people think. As soon as they’re sitting in that chair, it’s over. It really don’t matter. That’s what I notice in America,” Traore said.
Several candidates reported in this series have yet to comment publicly since the election at the time of writing.
This article is the last in a series reporting on the general election season this year, where we have covered races from King County’s Prosecutor, Washington’s District 8 and 9 for the House of Representatives in Congress, and campaigns in southwest King County for the State Legislature in Districts 30 and 33.