A voter puts a ballot in the drop box at the Ballard branch of the Seattle Public Library in King County. This voting location is one of the most popular in the county. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)
Time is up for voters in Washington to cast ballots in today’s primary. The state’s 4.9 million registered voters had until 8 p.m. today to get ballots postmarked or deposited in a designated drop box.
As of Tuesday evening, about 1.3 million ballots had been returned. You can see the numbers received in each county on the secretary of state’s website. Jefferson County led the way with 43.9% of its ballots cast.
There are contests for a U.S. Senate seat and all nine statewide executive offices — including governor, attorney general, public lands commissioner and superintendent of public instruction. All 10 of Washington’s U.S. House seats are up for election. Retirements of Democratic Congressman Derek Kilmer and Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers means voters will be filling two vacancies.
In Washington, the top two vote-getters for each office, regardless of party, will move on to the general election in November.
You can follow along here for updates this evening, including coverage of initial results as officials post ballot counts. We have two reporters in the field. Laurel Demkovich will be on the scene at a party in Seattle held by Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who’s running for governor. And Jerry Cornfield will be at a Republican gathering in Puyallup.
A reminder that because of the way Washington votes, it could be several days before it’s clear who will advance out of the primary in some races.
Key Events
16 mins ago
‘A really good day’
2 hours ago
GOP packs the pavilion
2 hours ago
Good vibes at Ferguson’s bash
2 hours ago
Last-minute voters
3 hours ago
A video thank you
4 hours ago
Ferguson’s day-two plans
4 hours ago
MGP a no-show in virtual roll call for Harris
5 hours ago
What we’re watching
5 hours ago
Party time
16 mins ago
‘A really good day’
State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad said she was feeling hopeful following the first round of results.
In past elections, Democrats tend to vote late, Conrad said, so seeing such a large lead in many races on election night was a good sign.
“It’s been a really good day,” she said.
But the party could still face some troubles in one race: the commissioner of public lands. Results were close on Tuesday with two Republicans leading, potentially shutting out Democrats from that seat altogether.
Conrad said she was still hopeful that one Democrat would make it through and expected a wave of progressive votes to come in later this week.
Still, she blamed Republicans for being “so fractured” that they split the vote among their two candidates in the race. But there are also three Democrats in the contest.
“We just want to make sure every vote gets counted,” she said.
2 hours ago
GOP packs the pavilion
Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert received a standing ovation as he spoke briefly to the GOP gathering in Puyallup before the first ballot counts were posted.
“We are going to get some numbers,” he said while cautioning that they may not be as good as everyone is hoping to see. Reichert said he’ll return when those results are shown on the big screen and talk about what will happen beginning tomorrow.
“We are going to be your voice. We are your conduit to voicing your thoughts and beliefs on how to make this a better state,” he said.
Raul Garcia, who is challenging incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, drew cheers in his speech.
And Brian Heywood also got a warm reception as he thanked those in the room who helped gather signatures on petitions supporting seven Republican-backed initiatives. State lawmakers adopted three but there will be four more atop ballots in November.
Many attendees lined up to feast on pork, brisket, coleslaw and Texas toast.
In between handing out plates, Sharon Nelson of Lakewood, shared that she felt anxious because the state and country are going in the wrong direction in her view. She said she appreciated that many in the room had volunteered to help Republican candidates.
“I hope the outcome is in our favor,” said Nelson, a member of the Pierce County Republican Party and South Puget Sound Republican Women, as she handed out plates to the hungry crowd.
Last updated: 8:23 pm
2 hours ago
Good vibes at Ferguson’s bash
Spirits were high at Democrat Bob Ferguson’s results party.
Supporters packed into a brewery in Ballard decorated with blue and white balloons, photos of Ferguson’s pets, Bob Ferguson campaign T-Shirts and flyers advertising “A bold new direction for Washington state.”
As they waited for results, his supporters enjoyed some brews and tunes like Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” and Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”
Last updated: 8:23 pm
2 hours ago
Last-minute voters
A couple hours before the 8 p.m. deadline, voters were racing to get their ballots in on time at drop boxes in Ballard.
Two King County drop boxes outside the Ballard branch of the Seattle Public Library are among the most popular in the city. The auditor’s office sends election workers to stand next to the boxes throughout Election Day. They wear bright yellow vests labeled “Vote!”, help answer questions, and prepare to collect ballots once the drop boxes close at 8 p.m.
As of Tuesday evening, King County’s turnout was around 27%, roughly in line with the state average.
Last updated: 8:01 pm
3 hours ago
A video thank you
As Republican Pete Serrano traveled by car to Puyallup Tuesday afternoon, he posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, thanking those who gave their time, money and prayers in support of his bid for attorney general.
“Everything you have done has made a difference in this election,” he says. “I will stand for you. I will stand with you and I will make sure Washington is a safer place. I look forward to seeing the results tonight.”
Serrano is one of three candidates in the contest. Because the other two – Manka Dhingra and Nick Brown – are Democrats, Serrano is expected to make it through the primary.
For those wondering, Serrano was not driving while recording the video.
Last updated: 7:01 pm
4 hours ago
Ferguson’s day-two plans
Gubernatorial hopeful Bob Ferguson – the likely leading Democratic candidate Tuesday – is already making his post-primary plans.
The attorney general has scheduled two Zoom calls on Wednesday where he will no doubt talk about his road to November, if he makes it through tonight.
At 10 a.m., he’ll join other Democratic lawmakers and progressive advocates to talk about a host of issues – reproductive rights, housing, education, climate change and gun violence are all on the agenda.
Two hours later, he has another call scheduled. This time, he’s alone talking to donors, and he’ll be analyzing Tuesday’s results and sharing what they mean for his campaign moving forward.
Last updated: 6:33 pm
4 hours ago
MGP a no-show in virtual roll call for Harris
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is seeking a second term in southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.
She narrowly beat Republican Joe Kent in 2022, winning a seat that had been held by a Republican for more than a decade. There’s a good chance they’re headed for a rematch.
At times, Gluesenkamp Perez has opted to keep some distance between herself and fellow Democrats. That was the case again this week as the Democratic National Committee leadership announced the delegates who’d pledged support during a virtual roll call for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s presidential nominee.
Harris garnered 4,567 votes of pledged and automatic delegates in a virtual roll call for the nomination. That worked out to 99% of votes cast.
That other 1% were folks who either voted “present” or did not vote at all.
Put Democratic Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in that latter category.
Washington had 111 delegate votes. Of those, 101 voted for Harris, nine voted present and one person did not vote. It was Gluesenkamp Perez, according to a state Democratic Party official.
We reached out to her campaign for an explanation and did not immediately hear back.
When Harris emerged as the party’s presumptive nominee a couple weeks ago, we asked Gluesenkamp Perez’s camp if she planned to endorse the vice president.
“The Congresswoman never endorsed (President Joe) Biden and has not endorsed Harris either. She’s focused on her own race here in Southwest Washington,” her press folks told us.
Last updated: 6:02 pm
5 hours ago
What we’re watching
In a few hours, results will start rolling in, and we’ll be on the lookout for a few key storylines.
In the race to represent Washington’s 4th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse’s future could be on the line. Newhouse, who’s represented the district since 2015, has drawn criticism from within his own party since he voted to impeach former president Donald Trump.
Democrats could get shut out of the race for public lands commissioner, according to a new poll. Although with so many voters still undecided in that race, anything is possible.
Chris Reykdal, the incumbent for superintendent of public instruction, could be in trouble this election. Reykdal is seeking his third term but has been facing doubters since last August.
The Standard has broken down those races and more things to watch this primary.
Last updated: 6:00 pm
5 hours ago
Party time
Election night parties are still a thing as candidates hang out with family, friends and supporters to await the arrival of results on their laptops, phones or maybe their watch. We’ve gotten a heads up on a few.
Several Republicans expecting to advance to the general election will be at a bash in Puyallup hosted by the Pierce County Republican Party.
Gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert tops the attendee list. Pete Serrano, who is running for attorney general, and Raul Garcia, who is vying for U.S. Senate, will join him as will Kelly Chambers, the GOP hopeful for Pierce County executive.
Democratic candidates are mostly doing their own things.
Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal will be at Jellyfish Brewing Co. in Seattle with supporters of her reelection bid. Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who is running for governor, will be at a Ballard brewery.
Nick Brown, one of two Democrats seeking the AG’s job, will be holding court in the lobby bar of the Westin Hotel in Seattle. State Sen. Manka Dhingra, the other Democrat in that race, will be at the Redmond Senior and Community Center along with her Senate colleague, Patty Kuderer, a candidate for state insurance commissioner.
And Emily Randall, the Democratic state senator running for an open congressional seat, plans to be in her Bremerton campaign headquarters.
Last updated: 5:03 pm
