Results roll in for 9 legislative races in Washington’s primary election
Tuesday’s primary went well for three appointed Democratic Washington state lawmakers looking to overcome tough challengers to retain their seats.
State Sens. Victoria Hunt and Vandana Slatter, and Rep. Edwin Obras, were all ahead following Tuesday’s vote tally. More votes will be counted in the days ahead, and the top two finishers in each race will move on to the general election.
But Democratic state Sen. Deb Krishnadasan found herself trailing Republican state Rep. Michelle Caldier by 89 votes in what is one of the must-watch legislative battles this year.
Meanwhile, five other appointed Democratic state lawmakers breezed through to the November ballot.
Contests for seats held by Krishnadasan and Hunt offer the first measure of voters’ response to this year’s legislative session, when majority Democrats pushed through higher taxes, budget cuts and controversial new laws, such as restrictions on gun buyers and caps on rent increases.
Those races – in the 26th and 5th legislative districts – are Republicans’ best opportunities to gain ground in the state Senate, where Democrats hold a 30-19 seat advantage.
Here is where things stand following the first night of ballot counting. The next update is expected Wednesday afternoon.
Full results from Tuesday’s vote count can be found on the secretary of state’s website.
26th Legislative District
Caldier, a six-term state representative, led Krishnadasan, a former school board director, by less than 1%, collecting 14,659 votes to the senator’s 14,570. Caldier was ahead in the Pierce County portion of the district with Krishnadasan leading in the Kitsap County section.
Krishnadasan, appointed after former state senator Emily Randall was elected to Congress last year, is facing voters for the first time as a lawmaker. Caldier won a seat in the House in 2014 and has been re-elected five times.
This past session, Krishnadasan voted against her party’s major tax bills and transportation revenue package. Still, business- and Republican-backed political committees poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into mailers, streaming ads and texts aimed at tying her to the decisions of her caucus.
Caldier took hits, too. A political committee funded by statewide unions and Democratic Party-affiliated groups sought to define the veteran Republican lawmaker as a MAGA devotee.
November’s winner will represent the district that encompasses parts of Kitsap and Pierce counties and includes Bremerton, Port Orchard, Purdy and Gig Harbor.
5th Legislative District
In east King County, Hunt led Republican Chad Magendanz 52.8% to 47% in the other legislative contest where the GOP hopes to flip a Democrat-held seat.
Hunt won a House seat in November and was appointed to the Senate following the unexpected death of Sen. Bill Ramos this spring.
Magendanz, a former two-term state representative in the district, ran for Senate last year and lost to Ramos. In 2022, Magendanz tried unsuccessfully to win a House seat.
In this duel, outside forces also spent large sums to sway voters.
Business-backed political committees and the state Republican Party hit Hunt in mailers, texts and streaming ads for voting for her party’s major tax bills and controversial social policies.
Meanwhile, a political committee that works to elect incumbent and progressive Democrats invested in ads to bolster her candidacy and attack the Republican challenger.
The district covers Issaquah, Black Diamond, Covington, and part of Snoqualmie.
33rd Legislative District
Obras, who is in his first campaign, led fellow Democrat Kevin Schilling, the mayor of Burien, by a margin of 43.5% to 32.1%. Republican Darryl Jones is a distant third with 24.2% in the south King County district that includes Burien, Normandy Park, Des Moines, SeaTac and much of Kent.
Obras is a progressive backed by many in the House Democratic Caucus and several statewide unions. Schilling, a moderate who served as political director for former congressman Derek Kilmer, highlights his support from U.S. Rep. Adam Smith and Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove.
If he had finished third in the primary, Obras would’ve lost his chance to return to the Legislature in 2026. He spent $131,000 to Schilling’s $126,000.
48th Legislative District
Slatter, of Bellevue, garnered 59.4% in a decisive primary victory over a fellow Democrat, state Rep. Amy Walen, of Kirkland.
This expensive Democrat-versus-Democrat matchup is playing out in the 48th District, where both enjoy support among its voters in Redmond, Bellevue and Kirkland.
Entering Tuesday, nearly $1 million had been shelled out collectively by the candidates and independently-run campaigns of their allies. Walen reported spending $350,000, nearly double Slatter’s total, according to filings with the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Slatter is the progressive, Walen the business-friendly moderate. Because the two voted similarly on many bills last session, many of those dollars were spent to spotlight their different policy views and political alliances.
They are the only two candidates in the race, so both will advance to November.
Five races
without surprises
In the 41st District, Rep. Janice Zahn, D-Bellevue, captured 62.8% of the vote, followed by Republican John Whitney of Bellevue, with 29.8% and Democrat Vinita Kak of Newcastle with 7.3%
Rep. Osman Salahuddin, D-Redmond, garnered 60.7% to easily win the primary in the 48th District. Republican Dennis Ellis is second with 30.6% followed by Democrat Ranga Bondada, with 8.5%.
State Sens. Tina Orwall of Des Moines and Emily Alvarado of Seattle, and Rep. Brianna Thomas of West Seattle were unopposed Tuesday. Orwall serves the 33rd District. Alvarado and Thomas represent the 34th District.
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