With the vote counting nearing the finish line, once trailing, Mountlake Terrace Democrat Luis Moscoso is now well ahead of Bothell’s Heidi Munson in the contest for District 1, Position 2 state representative.
State law required local election officials to certify votes Nov. 23. Early deadlines due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday meant certifications arrived too late for this issue. However, the numbers here reflect the latest available as of Nov. 22 and those numbers were expected to change very little, if at all.
Following the Nov. 2 deadline for return of ballots for the all-mail election, the Munson-Moscoso race probably has attracted the most attention locally because of the closeness of the contest.
At one point, Munson led by a few hundred ballots. However, Moscoso quickly began to gain ground and has been padding his lead.
In combined voting from King and Snohomish counties, Moscoso now leads with 27,700 votes, or 50.9 percent, compared to Munson’s 26,659 votes, or 49 percent. The numbers are still somewhat close, but not close enough to trigger an automatic recount.
In other races of local interest:
• State Representative, District 1, Position One: Bothell was guaranteed a winner here as both candidates call the city home. Democrat Derek Stanford has been leading the vote count from the start, earning 29,151 ballots, or 53.2 percent, compared to Republican Dennis Richter’s 25,621 ballots, or 46.7 percent. All numbers are combined King and Snohomish county vote totals.
• State Senator, District 32: State Rep. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, likely already has packed her bags for a move to the side of the state capitol. Chase is defeating Kenmore Mayor David Baker by a healthy margin of 33,287, or 60.5 percent, compared to 21,678, or 39.4 percent. This seat was vacated by State Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park.
• After losing her city council spot by a few hundred votes a year ago, former Shoreline Mayor Cindy Ryu seems headed for Olympia as the representative for District 32, Position One. Ryu is outdistancing Republican Art Coday. The numbers: Ryu, 33,414, 61.6 percent; Coday, 21,218, 38.8 percent.
• Of five local races, this was the only one featuring an incumbent. And that incumbent, State Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park, continues to easily outrun Republican challenger Gary Gagliardi. Kagi has 35,208 votes, compared with Gagliardi’s 19,387, or 64.4 percent compared to 35.5 percent.
• In the only local issue on the ballot, voters in Snohomish County Fire District 7 apparently have given their OK to renewal of an EMS levy, with 13,886 votes for, and 6,959 against. Just as importantly, the levy is passing by a margin of 66.6 percent to 33.3 percent. The levy needed a supermajority of 60 percent or better to earn passage.
