NEWS GLEAMS | Who Got What in the Washington Primary, and Tanya Woo Hits the Campaign Trail, Again

A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Washington State Presidential Primary Election Results

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump became the presumptive candidates for their respective Democratic and Republican parties Tuesday, and Washington primary results were no different.

"Uncommitted Delegates" voters, protesting Biden's handling of the Israel—Hamas war, however, took roughly 7.5% of the Democratic primary vote Tuesday, and former presidential candidate Nikki Haley still pulled a significant percentage of Republican voters.

Early results are in for the Tuesday, March 12, Washington State presidential primary election, and about a quarter of registered voters participated in the no-contest contest. With 4,858,107 registered voters and 1,254,335 total ballots counted to date, statewide voter turnout landed at 25.8%. An estimated 198,245 ballots remain to be processed statewide. King County voter turnouts were relatively low at 23.2%, compared with the statewide average of 25.8%, but it had the highest number of voters statewide, at 47,000 individuals.

Washington State voters generally vote by mail, as every eligible voter is mailed a ballot. Those who are interested in voting in person can also visit a limited number of voting centers for additional assistance.

Election results will continue to be updated through King County Elections and the Washington Secretary of State website, where results can be sorted by county. Here's the breakdown from early results:

Democratic Party

Statewide, current President Joe Biden is the Democratic Party frontrunner. He received 85.9% of the vote, which will give him 92 delegates.

"Uncommitted Delegates" received 7.4% of the vote statewide, joining a nationwide movement that urged voters to vote "Uncommitted Delegates" to reprimand the White House for its current stance on Israel's war on Gaza. That compares to the nearly 13% of uncommitted votes tallied in the Michigan Democratic primary, which features large voting blocs of Arab Americans in the Detroit suburbs.

Two previous Democratic candidates who have since dropped out of the race cumulatively garnered a small percentage, with Dean Phillips receiving 3% and Marianne Williamson receiving 2.7%. Only 1.2% of voters wrote in a candidate not on the ballot.

Numbers were comparable in King County, with current President Biden receiving 84.2% of the Democratic Party votes — though 10.2% of voters in King County voted "Uncommitted Delegates."

Republican Party

Statewide, former President Donald Trump is the Republican Party frontrunner, with 73.8% of the vote. He will receive 43 delegates.

In contrast to the Democrat "Uncommitted Delegates" vote, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley — who only dropped out of the race last week after Super Tuesday — won a significant percentage of the Republican primary with 21.6% of the vote.

Other former candidates who have since dropped out include Ron DeSantis with 2.17% of the vote, Chris Christie with 1.1% , and Vivek Ramaswamy with 0.9%. Write-ins garnered only 0.5% on the Republican Party side.

In King County, Trump received 61% of the vote and Haley received 33.6%.

Interim Councilmember Tanya Woo Announces Campaign for Special Election Seat in November

On Tuesday morning at Hing Hay Park in the Chinatown-International District (CID), interim Seattle City Councilmember Tanya Woo announced her bid for November's special election.

If Woo successfully wins the November special election, she will hold her current position in office for a year and be required to run again in 2025 for a four-year term.

Incumbent South Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales beat Woo in a close race for District 2 in November, but Woo was appointed by the City Council in January 2024 to fill a vacant seat after Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the Metropolitan King County Council.

"My community work on the streets of the Chinatown International District gave me firsthand knowledge of the problems in CID, problems that also plague the City of Seattle," Woo said via a press release. "The CID is small, but is a crucible of all the problems that ails our city; affordable housing, public safety, and drug addiction. We need elected leaders who genuinely listen to people. By coming together, we can make our neighborhoods safer and more affordable for everyone."

Woo currently chairs the Sustainability, City Light, Arts & Culture committee.

Councilmember Tammy Morales Hosts In-District Office Hours in Rainier Beach

District 2 Councilmember Tammy Morales is inviting constituents to participate in the first of a series of in-district office hours, which will take place on Friday, March 22, at the Rainier Beach Branch of The Seattle Public Library.

Interested individuals are invited to sign up for 10-minute one-on-one slots during the first half of the event. The second hour and a half will be reserved for constituents to speak to the Councilmember and her team on a first-come, first-served basis.

📸 Featured Image: A voter drops their completed ballot into a King County Elections drop box. (Photo: Megan Christy)

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