Democrats on cusp of expanding majorities in WA Legislature

By Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard

Democrats are on course to grow their majorities in the Washington Legislature but Republicans are positioned to sweep seats in one of the state’s most watched districts.

Democrats outnumber Republicans by margins of 58-40 in the House and 29-20 in the Senate. Entering Tuesday, the majority party had designs on capturing Republican-held seats in districts where GOP incumbents retired.

Here’s where things stood in those battlegrounds Wednesday. Results will change as more votes are counted.

Razor thin

Democrat Janet. St. Clair led incumbent Republican state Sen. Ron Muzzall by 61 votes in their pricey fight in the 10th Legislative District spanning all of Island County and parts of Snohomish and Skagit counties.

St. Clair, an Island County commissioner, garnered 55% of votes cast in Island County and 57% in Skagit County while Muzzall received nearly 59% in the Snohomish portion, as of Wednesday.

In this swing district, the close race is no surprise as Muzzall won in 2020 by fewer than 2,000 votes. Muzzall’s current seatmates in the House are Democrats — Dave Paul and Clyde Shavers. Both of them are having an easier time with reelection as each hauled in 54% on Wednesday.

GOP sweep?

Tuesday marked the first contests in a Yakima Valley district with boundaries redrawn by a federal judge to resolve a legal battle over the electoral power of Latino voters.

The new lines shifted it from reliably Republican to highly favorable for Democrats based on past presidential elections. Democrats and their allies looked to capitalize but initial results showed them falling short.

On election night, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, led Democrat Maria Beltran 55.8% to 44%. And in the fight for the House seats, Republicans Gloria Mendoza and Deb Manjarrez were beating Democrats Chelsea Dimas and Ana Ruiz Kennedy respectively.

Spoiled comeback

Democrats eyed the seat of retiring Republican Rep. Spencer Hutchins as a potential pick-up and it may happen.

Democrat Adison Richards was beating Republican Jesse Young, a former state lawmaker, 52% to 47.9%, in the district encompassing Pierce and Kitsap counties. Young is seeking to return to Olympia where he served as a state representative before losing a state Senate bid against Democratic state Sen. Emily Randall in 2022.

Too close to call

Two of the closest legislative contests are in southwest Washington’s 17th Legislative District where the decision of Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, to retire put two Republican-held seats in play.

Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, who is seeking to succeed Wilson, held a 792-vote lead on Marla Keethler, mayor of White Salmon. In the duel for Harris’ seat, Democrat Terri Niles, a nurse, had a 185-vote advantage over Republican David Stuebe, mayor of Washougal.

It didn’t get much attention but this district’s boundaries were changed as part of the federal lawsuit concerning the 14th District. Documents presented in the case showed it became slightly less Republican based on partisan performance in recent elections.

Republican seats in jeopardy

Slightly north, a similar storyline is unfolding in the 18th Legislative District where Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, is retiring.

Democrat Adrian Cortes is leading Republican Brad Benton 50.8% to 49% in a showdown for the Senate seat. There were 1,136 votes separating them on election night. State Rep. Greg Cheney also sought the seat but lost in the primary to Benton, the son of former state lawmaker Don Benton.

Meanwhile, Republican John Ley had a 222-vote edge over Democrat John Zingale in the race for Cheney’s seat. Ley, who raised just $21,550 to Zingale’s $243,000, had to fend off attacks in the primary funded by the Reagan Fund, a political committee tied to the House Republican caucus. Once he emerged from the primary ahead of Philip Johnson, their choice, the GOP committee was solely in his corner.

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