2022 Election Preview: Leesa Manion vs. Jim Ferrell

King County Prosecutor Preview:

This autumn, in addition to voting on congressional and legislative elections, voters in King County will have to decide on a new prosecuting attorney to serve in the county’s executive branch. Longtime incumbent Dan Satterberg is retiring after holding the post for nearly two decades.

Two candidates are running to succeed him: Chief of Staff Leesa Manion and Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell, who previously worked in the office.

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Manion has a slight lead on Ferrell, logging 32% compared to his 31% with 33% undecided, according to Northwest Progressive Institute’s King County poll.

The poll was conducted from Oct. 28 to Nov. 3, asking nearly 750 likely voters within King County who their preference is for prosecuting attorney.

83% of voters undecided in King County Prosecuting Attorney race

Leesa Manion:

Manion, Satterberg’s current Chief of Staff, has been vocal about her priorities if she’s elected as prosecutor, with her No. 1 goal to properly prosecute criminals and increase resources for law enforcement.

“I will prosecute violent crime, sexual assault, and repeat property crimes because those crimes cannot go unpunished,” Manion said. “And you can trust me to fight for more police resources and to include more social workers and mental health professionals because policing alone is not the solution.”

Manion has also stressed tackling the prosecutor’s office’s backlog of cases, which was built up exponentially during the pandemic.

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Jim Ferrell:

Ferrell spent 16 years as a trial attorney in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office before being elected as Federal Way mayor for three terms.

He also shared Manion’s belief in clearing the dense backlog of cases, as he described the situation as “crippling” for the department.

“That has to be addressed on Day 1,” Ferrell said on The Dori Monson Show. “I’ve got an aggressive triage plan to get those cases through.”

Ferrell’s endorsements include police guilds of King County, Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Federal Way, and Des Moines; mayors of 15 suburban cities; several labor unions; The Seattle Times editorial board; and long-time senior prosecutors in the office.

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