Primary election results shed light on Democratic divide in Seattle-area races
Voters across the Puget Sound region are weighing a series of contests Tuesday that could help define the balance of power between progressive candidates and more moderate or established officeholders heading into the November election.
The ideological split is most visible in the 9th Congressional District, where former Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant is trying to turn her movement-based, independent socialist campaign into a direct challenge against longtime Democratic Rep. Adam Smith.
It is also playing out in Seattle legislative districts, where Mayor Katie Wilson has put her political capital behind progressive candidates seeking to unseat veteran Democratic lawmakers. Other closely watched contests include Seattle’s lone City Council race, two King County Council primaries, multiple Washington Supreme Court races and several local tax measures.
Washington’s primary system advances the top two finishers in each race, regardless of party, making it possible for two Democrats or two candidates from the political left to meet again in November.
Smith, who has represented the district for nearly three decades, faces four challengers: Sawant, Democrat Melissa Chaudhry, Republican Doug Basler and Socialist Workers Party candidate Jacob Perasso.
Sawant has sought to frame the contest as a choice between an independent socialist movement and the Democratic establishment. She has emphasized housing, national rent control, health care and opposition to US military support for Israel. Smith, a former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has at times criticized the left flank of his own party and has campaigned on his experience and ability to influence federal policy.
Chaudhry is also challenging Smith from the left, while Basler is seeking to give Republicans a place in the general election in a district that heavily favors Democrats. The initial count will show whether Sawant can consolidate enough progressive support to advance or whether the opposition to Smith is divided among several candidates.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is also on the ballot indirectly.
Wilson endorsed Hannah Sabio-Howell in the 43rd Legislative District Senate race against Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen. She also backed Ron Davis in the 46th District House race against longtime state Rep. Gerry Pollet.
KOMO News previously reported that the endorsements represented a potentially high-risk test of Wilson’s influence and could complicate her relationship with lawmakers whose support Seattle may need on housing, transportation, taxation and other priorities in Olympia.
Sabio-Howell has argued Pedersen is not moving urgently enough on affordability, taxation and worker protections. Pedersen and his supporters counter that he has delivered some of the Legislature’s most consequential progressive policies, including the recently approved tax on high earners, rent stabilization legislation and protections for LGBTQ residents.
Pedersen has also held a significant financial advantage. Current Public Disclosure Commission records show his campaign has raised more than $460,000 and spent about $342,000. Sabio-Howell has reported raising roughly $98,000 and spending about $72,000. Outside groups have also spent heavily in the contest.
In the 46th District, Pollet, Davis and former federal prosecutor Will Dreher are competing for two November positions. Dreher has led the candidates in fundraising, followed by Davis and Pollet. Wilson’s endorsement could help Davis secure one of the two spots, but the three-way field also creates the possibility that the mayor’s preferred candidate or the incumbent could be eliminated.
Seattle voters in District 5 are choosing among four candidates to fill the North Seattle seat previously held by Cathy Moore. Debora Juarez was appointed to the position after Moore’s departure but is not seeking the seat. The candidates are Nilu Jenks, Julie Kang, Silas James and Dimitri Georgakopoulos.
The race offers another snapshot of Seattle’s political range. Jenks has positioned herself in the progressive lane, emphasizing affordable housing, climate policy, expanded civilian crisis response and neighborhood investments. Kang has focused on public safety, accountability, housing and the concerns of small businesses. James is running as a democratic socialist, while Georgakopoulos has stressed economic development and support for businesses.
Jenks and Kang entered the final weeks of the primary as the leading fundraisers and with the most prominent endorsements, raising the possibility of a November contest that again places a progressive candidate against a more moderate alternative.
The most competitive King County Council race is in District 2, where Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña and King County employee Miriam Mboya are seeking the seat formerly held by Girmay Zahilay, who became county executive last year.
All three candidates have emphasized housing affordability, public transportation and community-based public safety, but they bring different experience and political alliances. Hasegawa has highlighted her work at the Port and in police oversight. Saldaña has pointed to her record in the Legislature and on immigrant protections. Mboya has campaigned on her knowledge of county government and her personal experience navigating public systems.
In District 8, incumbent Teresa Mosqueda faces Nick Duda and Mia Jacobson. Mosqueda, a former Seattle City Councilmember, has broad labor and Democratic support. Duda is campaigning on government performance, accountability and public safety, while Jacobson has called for more direct public participation in county policymaking.
Seattle voters are also considering Proposition 1, a replacement property tax levy that would raise nearly $480 million for the Seattle Public Library over seven years.
The measure would fund library hours, collections, technology, building maintenance, programming and administrative costs. It would add approximately 23 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Supporters estimate it would cost the average homeowner roughly $9 more per month than the expiring levy. The current library levy accounts for approximately one-third of funding in the service areas it supports. The replacement would run from 2027 through 2033.
Washington voters are also narrowing the fields in four state Supreme Court races, part of an unusually consequential election in which five of the court’s nine seats are on the November ballot.
A KOMO News tally of current PDC figures shows candidates across the five positions have reported raising approximately $2.36 million and spending approximately $1.48 million. Candidates in Position 5 alone have spent more than $609,000, while candidates in Position 3 have spent nearly $418,000. Four positions have more than two candidates and are appearing in the primary. Position 4 will go directly to the November ballot because only Ian Birk and Sean O’Donnell filed for the seat.
In Pierce County, Tacoma voters are deciding Proposition 1, the Connect Tacoma transportation safety measure.
The proposal would increase the city’s utility tax on natural gas, electricity and phone service by 1.5 percentage points and increase the property tax levy by 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for 10 years. Tacoma projects the taxes would generate $200 million locally and help leverage another $120 million in grants and partnerships for street paving, pothole repairs, sidewalks, school routes, traffic safety and connections to transit. City estimates place the additional property tax cost at about $101.52 per year for an average-value home, with the utility tax adding approximately $23.64 per year for a typical household. The measure requires a simple majority.
Voters in Fire Protection District No. 10, which serves the Fife area, are considering a separate $25 million bond to acquire, build and equip a replacement fire station. The bonds could last as long as 20 years and would be repaid through excess property tax levies. Unlike the Tacoma measure, the fire district bond requires 60% approval.
King County Elections Director Julie Wise said Tuesday afternoon that approximately 300,000 ballots had been returned, representing about 20% of voters, with officials projecting another 300,000 ballots could arrive on Election Day. Wise said the county expects “about a 40 to 45% turnout” based on comparable midterm primary elections.
Because each ballot must move through collection, signature verification and processing before it can be counted, the first election-night totals will not represent all ballots cast. Wise said King County expects to be largely “caught up” with the primary count by Friday.
Returning ballots earlier produces more meaningful election-night results, Wise said, but the large number traditionally arriving on or shortly before Election Day means close races could shift during the week.
