Primary Election: Western Washington legislative races backed by piles of money

(The Center Square) – As the primary election wrapped up Tuesday night, several faces emerged as front runners for the western half of the state in the upcoming general election. 

Western Washington is home to around 39 of the state’s 49 legislative districts. While one overlaps into Chelan County, most of the districts are much smaller than in the eastern and central portions of the state but boast far larger populations. 

Tuesday’s primary election solidified the top two candidates from each race, who will face off head-to-head in the Nov. 5 general election. Given the number of candidates running for office, this article will only touch on a few of the notable races in the region. 

Readers can find all the results on the Secretary of State’s website.

Leg. District 10

Washington’s 10th Legislative District lies up north and encompasses Arlington and Mount Vernon, stretching over to Whidbey and Camano islands. Since 2022, the district has held a democratic majority, which it hopes to defend as the pendulum rocks back and forth. 

The district’s only sitting Republican, Sen. Ron Muzzall, will proceed to the general election after receiving 48.32% of the vote; however, his challenger is Democrat Janet St. Clair, an Island County commissioner, who managed to get within 1,000 votes of Muzzall at 44.99% of the vote. 

Muzzall has raised almost $567,000 in campaign funds, while St. Clair has brought in just under $200,000.

Meanwhile, the district’s two House Representatives will move on to November to defend their seats against Republican challengers. Democrat incumbent Rep. Clyde Shavers received 52.55% of the vote and will face Carrie Kennedy after she brought in 27.52%. 

Then, Democrat incumbent Rep. Dave Paul will defend the district’s other House seat after bringing in 55.61% of the vote. He’ll face Republican challenger Gary Wray, who received 44.31%. 

Both incumbent House Representatives have raised roughly $270,000 combined, while their two challengers brought in less than $20,000 together.

Leg. District 43

Washington’s 43rd Legislative District encompasses the heart of Seattle, downtown, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union and more. The district is entirely democratic and will remain that way after the General Election. 

Incumbent Rep. Nicole Marci is running unopposed to retain her seat for another term; however, with Rep. Frank Chopp leaving office after representing the district for 30 years, the seat is open for a new face. 

On Tuesday night, Democrat Shaun Scott received 54.2% of the vote, making him the front-runner by a wide margin. He’ll face off with Democrat Andrea Suarez, who received 23.27% of the vote. 

While Scott only raised around $85,000 in campaign funds, Suarez topped him with approximately $94,000 despite receiving less than half as many votes.

Leg. District 26 

Meanwhile, in Kitsap’s 26th Legislative District, another party swing could happen this fall. The district hosts a Democratic Senator, but both of its House Representatives are Republican; however, with one stepping out, some new faces have entered the race. 

Democrat Adison Richards will proceed to the general election after receiving 49.44% of the vote. He’ll face off with former Republican Rep. Jesse Young, who received 35.2% of the vote. 

However, if Young hopes to keep the district leaning right, he’ll have to sway support from the third candidate, Jim Henderson, who only received 15.22% of the vote. The issue is that Young and Henderson had a contentious campaign this summer, pitting themselves against each other.

Young has raised roughly $142,000 with his campaign, while Richards brought in approximately $157,000. 

For the district’s other seat, incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Caldier got 34.87% of the vote to continue to November. She’ll face off with Democrat Tiffiny Mitchell, who received 29.86%, in a race to stop District 26 from becoming entirely democratic. 

Caldier’s campaign raised almost $121,000, while Mitchell brought in less than half that, around $54,000. 

While there are other districts that could swing the pendulum, more will unfold in the months leading up to this fall’s general election. These results are unofficial; the state and counties will certify the official results on Aug. 20. 

This article includes contributions from The Center Square’s Carleen Johnson and Spencer Pauley.