Hunt widens lead, while Krishnadasan remains on top in pivotal WA state Senate races

Two legislative districts in Washington, 5 and 26, are on the ballot for this year’s general election in Washington.

Legislative District 5

Democrat Victoria Hunt widened her lead against Republican Chad Magendanz Monday.

Hunt has gathered 56.3% of the vote (28,295 votes) to Magendenz’s 43.6%% (21,927 votes), according to Washington Secretary of State voting data.

These results are similar to August’s primary election, where Hunt earned 54.1% of the primary vote compared to Magendanz’s 45.7%.

Washington’s 5th Legislative District covers the region between Issaquah and Enumclaw.

Hunt was called to fill the Senate seat after Senator Bill Ramos died in June while in office. Before her brief tenure as a senator, Hunt was on the Issaquah City Council for three terms and served one term as a state representative.

Magendanz, meanwhile, was a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing District 5, Position 2, for four years (2013-2017). He currently teaches computer science at Sammamish High School, following his unsuccessful run for Senate last year, in which he lost to Bill Ramos, and a bid for a House seat in 2022, which also ended in defeat.

As a teacher, Magendanz has campaigned on improving test scores in schools by better distributing both state and federal resources.

Hunt has been campaigning on overall affordability, both at the voter level in terms of housing and daily amenities, and at the government level to ensure there are enough resources to combat devastating disasters, such as a wildfire or a bomb cyclone.

Legislative District 26

Democratic state Senator Deb Krishnadasan continues to maintain her lead over Republican state Representative Michelle Caldier for District 26 after nearly a week of counting votes.

Krishnadasan has 3,235 more votes than Caldier, according to voter results from the Washington Secretary of State, Monday, earning 52.8% of the vote compared to Caldier’s 47.1%.

Krishnadasan was appointed to the seat after former state senator Emily Randall was elected to Congress in 2024. On the opposing side, Caldier represents District 26, Position 2 in the Washington House of Representatives. She was first elected in 2014 and has been re-elected five times since.

While both Krishnadasan and Caldier want to prioritize funding for education and Medicaid, Krishnadasan has voted in favor of capping rent increases and expanding unemployment benefits to workers on strike, while Caldier has opposed both policies.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

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