Tightest primary races in King County, WA Legislature

King County residents voted to narrow down the races for King County executive and five positions on the county council during the primary election. Additionally, nine state-level legislative seats were on the ballot.

Here are the tightest races after the initial results have been announced.

King County Executive

King County Executive Dow Constantine became the newest CEO of Sound Transit, opening up the position to several candidates. After King County Assessor John Wilson suspended his campaign for executive, Girmay Zahilay grabbed 103,471 votes (40.4%), followed by Claudia Balducci’s 77,590 votes (30.3%).

Zahilay, a former business attorney, currently represents District 2 on the King County Council, while Balducci represents District 6.

District 5 seat on King County Council

The King County District 5 seat became a three-way race during the primary election. Peter Kwon, a member of the SeaTac City Council for the past 10 years, leads the pack with 5,422 votes (28%), followed by Steffanie Fain with 4,777 votes (24.6%) and Kim-Khanh Van with 4,035 votes (20.8%).

Fain, a career lawyer, is a founding member of the MultiCare South King Health Foundation and is currently serving a fifth term as president of the Harborview Medical Center Board. Van has served on the Renton City Council for the past six years.

Washington Legislature races

Democratic state Rep. Victoria Hunt leads Republican challenger Chad Magendanz by 1,387 votes. Hunt moved from the House to the Senate in the Washington Legislature after the King County Council appointed her to replace the late Sen. Bill Ramos.

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