MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Hello Democrats,
With the Primary Election a few days behind us, it’s a great time to assess where we stand in many of the most critical races statewide.
We’ll cover the highlights – but remember you can always check on the details via the Secretary of State’s website here: https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20230801/default.htm
At this point in the game, we don’t expect any more major ballot drops, which means most of the results here should hold. With that being said, more votes will be counted in the days to come and nothing is final until results are certified later this month!
As of now, we’re looking at a total voter turnout of 28.9% and projecting final turnout closer to 29.7%. While not earth-shatteringly high, this puts us roughly on pace with the 2019 and 2021 Primaries, meaning voter engagement has held steady cycle to cycle. Trust us when we say we’ll be picking up the pace in the coming months to ensure Democrats show up in a big way this November!
In terms of actual results, we haven’t seen a ton of change since Primary night. That said, we did want to share a few shifts that are worth noting:
- Lisa Brown and Betsy Wilkerson both widened their leads significantly in Spokane – each picking up approximately 25,000 votes and beating the next runner up in their races by 11 and 13 percentage points respectively! Voters are fired up in the Lilac City and we are almost certain to exceed 2021 turnout by a wide margin.
- Jamie Smith and Joe Colombo both narrowed their margins slightly in their races for Pierce County Council and Puyallup City Council – we have a lot of work to do but this could be a sign they’re picking up steam!
- In Sunnyside – Democrat Keren Vazquez has inched ahead of her opponent with a 26 vote lead in the Position 5 race!
At the end of the day we’re proud to say that our Democratic candidates are holding fast. We’ll keep you apprised of any major changes, but we think we have a pretty solid picture of where races are landing across Washington.
Once more – I want to say a massive thank you to every single person who helped get out the vote leading up to the Primary. Whether you helped friends and family complete and turn in their ballots, made calls in support of terrific candidates, or pounded the pavement and knocked on doors to ensure every vote was counted, your work made a huge difference and we couldn’t have achieved what we did without you!
WORKING FOR WASHINGTON
Win or lose – we are extremely proud of every Democrat who made the brave, proud decision to run for office and represent our Party. And so I want to take this opportunity to give a major shoutout to all of our Local Party leaders who stepped up and ran for office this year!
- Jacob Borden for Elma City Council – Chair, Grays Harbor Democrats
- Andrew Ashiofu for Seattle City Councilmember No. 3 – Stonewall/LGBTQ+ Caucus Chair
- Satin-Deseree Arnett for Stanwood-Camano School District At-Large Board Member – LD 10 State Committee Member, Affirmative Action Committee Co-Chair
- Amanda Dodd for City of Bothell, Council Position No. 6 – Vice Chair, LD 1 Democrats
- Pam Stuart for City of Sammamish, Council Position No. 6 – Vice Chair, LD 41 Democrats
- Lisa Rivera Smith for Seattle School District No. 001, Director District No. 2 – Vice Chair, LD 46 Democrats
- Gina Topp for Seattle School District No. 001, Director District No. 6 – Former Chair, LD 34 Democrats
- Ashley Gregorious for Hospital Commission District 304 – Vice Chair, LD40 Democrats
- Carin Chase for Edmonds School District Director district 1 – State Committee Member, LD 32
- Talauna Reed for Olympia School Board Dist. No. 1 – State Committee Member, LD 22
- Olgy Diaz for Tacoma City Council At-Large – Former Party Affairs Director
- Tim Noonan for Si View Park District Commissioner 1 – State Committee Member, LD 5
Local Party organizations and our terrific local candidates are the true backbone of our Party and we couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of these terrific folks! I can’t wait to work with each and every one of these terrific folks in our critical effort to get out the Democratic vote this fall!
DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS
Inslee, lawmakers turn up heat on oil companies as WA gas prices top nation
Gov. Jay Inslee and lawmakers stood in front of a row of electric school buses to take aim at oil companies’ record profits amid soaring gas prices.
Sen. Maria Cantwell readies alternative plan to tackle TikTok concerns
The yet-to-be-unveiled measure would mark a major new entrant in the debate over the app.
Rep. Larsen announces 2023 Congressional App Challenge
Rep. Rick Larsen announced the launch of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge (CAC) this week.
SAVE THE DATE
Democracy Summer will be hosting a picnic fundraiser for Rep. Suzan DelBene at noon on Saturday August 5th in Kirkland. Learn more and RSVP here!
Keep in touch, stay engaged, and as always, thank you for all you do!
With gratitude,
Chair Shasti Conrad Washington State Democratic Party
The work we do today wins elections this November. If you’re ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.
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