🗳️ The latest election returns

The Latest on the Primary Election

Election results for Seattle’s primary dropped yesterday at 4 p.m, and we’re looking at what we would consider the key races. So far, incumbents are doing very well and Seattleites appear overwhelmingly in favor of the library levy. [King County Election Results]

• Library Levy: It’s looking good for the library levy as it currently sits at Yes 72.41% over No at 27.59%. Should that hold, the library will have additional funding from 2027 - 2033.
• Kshama Sawant is trailing Adam Smith by 37 points: It is likely Sawant will close the gap a bit, but unlikely she will proceed to the general, as she is also trailing Republican Doug Basler. Sawant blamed progressive Democrat Melissa Chaudry for splitting the vote, as well as union leaders for endorsing Smith.
• Hannah Sabio-Howell is trailing Jamie Pedersen: With 19.03% of the vote to his 70.32% in the 43rd district State Senate race. In a conversation with The Stranger, Pedersen said his challenger led him to take this year’s campaign seriously.
• Incumbent Gerry Pollet leads: With 53.84% of the vote in the 46th District house race. Will Dreher is behind him at 30.99%, with Ron Davis in a distant third.
• Turnout: Yesterday's drop reported a 22% turnout and it will likely increase as Seattleites often vote close to the deadline. (I dropped my ballot off at 9am Monday.) For context, turnout for the primary was 45% in 2025, 38% in 2023 and 39% in 2022. [King County Elections]
• For all the latest: Check out King County and Washington State election results. And listen to today’s podcast episode where Jane breaks down the first batch of results with Erica C. Barnett of PubliCola and Alex Halverson of the Seattle Times. Listen at the link below or watch on YouTube.

👮 Issues with Barnes went beyond travel: Erica C. Barnett has an exhaustive breakdown of the issues that arose at SPD with the recently-departed Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes at the helm. These include concerns related to gender discrimination in hiring, anti-LGBTQ bias, sidelining the CARE department, and more. She also talked about it on today’s podcast. [PublicCola]

🍅 Free summer meals: With Seattle Public Schools set to offer free meals this school year, the South Seattle Emerald highlighted the Summer Food Service Program, which offers free breakfast, lunch, and snacks to families who show up. No paperwork, ID, or proof of residency required. To find locations, click here. [South Seattle Emerald]

🌳 Land returned to Duwamish: A 3.56-acre parcel of land called Heron’s Nest (spaʔqʷaʔ č̓aʔac) has been transformed from a hazardous waste zone to a garden and community center for the Duwamish Tribe through a six year collaboration with the city of Seattle and Shared Spaces Foundation. Read more about the rematriation of the land at Underscore.