NEWS GLEAMS | Donald Trump Wins Second Term as U.S. President; Washington State Election Results

The race for the 47th U.S. president has been called for former Republican President Donald Trump, who has beaten Democrat and current Vice President Kamala Harris by a significant margin. The outcome of the 2024 election has long been known to be reliant on a limited number of "swing states,” including North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. Trump is likely to win all of them, though results from Nevada and Arizona have yet to be officially confirmed.

The first three swing states to be called — North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania — were states that President Joe Biden won in 2020 and were considered among the most consequential. In North Carolina, Trump had a lead of 51.1% to 47.7%; in Georgia, by 50.8% to 48.5%; and in Pennsylvania, by 50.6% to 48.4%, as of Monday morning.

Among the top issues to voters who handed Trump the victory were the economy, immigration, abortion rights, and to a lesser degree, foreign affairs, including wars abroad. Such issues contributed to Trump beating Harris by a degree larger than most expected going into the election.

As of 11:30 p.m. on election night, Trump's victory had only been called by select outlets, such as Fox News, but he gave his victory speech at that time. In it, he called his victory perhaps “the greatest political movement of all time… [which is] now going to reach a new level of importance.”

Harris called Trump early in the day on Nov. 6 to congratulate him on the victory. She gave her concession speech around 1:30 p.m. PST in Washington, D.C., at Howard University, her alma mater. She tried to take on a hopeful tone, stating, “Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place.”

One notable factor in the outcome is that the former “Blue Wall” states — such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, states where Democrats were expected to win — did not hand over victories to Harris. Harris was also expected to significantly lead Trump in votes from women, but such a lead was negligible compared to the 2020 election. A marked shift was also seen from People of Color towards Trump compared to the 2020 election, though non-whites still voted more for Democrats overall.

Trump is the first president since Grover Cleveland — who began his second term in 1893 — to serve non-consecutive presidential terms after losing a previous bid for re-election. His second term in office will also be supported by a Republican-led Senate and conservative-leaning Supreme Court, though results of the House are still pending.

Democrat Bob Ferguson Beats Republican Dave Reichert for Washington State Governor

Current Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has beaten Republican Dave Reichert in the race for Washington State's 24th governor. With a 56% lead over Reichert's 44% statewide and a massive 72% to 28% lead in King County, Ferguson will take over for Gov. Jay Inslee, who has held the position since 2012.

Ferguson made his acceptance speech at the Seattle Convention Center on election night and thanked the public for securing a “pragmatic and progressive vision.” Ferguson's victory continues four consecutive decades of Democrats serving Washington State as governor.

As attorney general, Ferguson sued former President Donald Trump dozens of times during his previous presidency. In light of the results of this year's presidential election, Ferguson suggested that his administration would be once again ready to fight similarly on the national stage, as needed.

Reichert has refused to concede until all votes have been counted.

Statewide Elections

Despite a Republican shift nationally, Washington State remains largely Democratic in its statewide races. At of the time of publication, the following results are about 62% counted. Asterisks (*) represent incumbent candidates, and NP represents No-Party candidates.

• State Attorney General
  Nick Brown (D) leads Pete Serrano (R) by 56.3% to 43.7%

• Lieutenant Governor
  Denny Heck* (D) leads Dan Matthews (R) by 56.7% to 43.3%

• Secretary of State
  Steve Hobbs* (D) leads Dale Whitaker (R) by 59.6% to 40.4%

• Superintendent of Public Instruction
  Chris Rekydal* (NP) leads David Olson (NP) with 53.8% to 46.2%

• Lands Commissioner
  Dave Upthegrove (D) leads Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) by 53.1% to 46.9%

• Insurance Commissioner
  Patty Kuderer (D) leads Phil Fortunato (R) by 42.8%

• U.S. Senate
  Maria Cantwell* (D) leads Raul Garcia (R) by 59.9% to 40.1%

Statewide Initiatives

• WA Measure 2066: Ensure Access to National Gas
  Around 51.2% of voters have voted to require local governments and utility companies to offer natural gas to eligible clients, thus repealing parts of the Washington Decarbonization Act. 

• WA Measure 2019: Repeal Capital Gains Tax General
  Around 62.3% of voters have voted not to repeal a 7% tax for those who make over $250,000 annually from their sales of long-term capital assets. 

• WA Measure 2117: Prohibit Carbon Tax Trading General
  Around 61.7% of voters voted not to block Washington State from taxing carbon emitters through their "cap and trade" program, which is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reinvest funds from tax sales towards environmental justice projects.

• WA Measure 2124: Allow Employees to Opt Out of WA Cares General
  Around 55.5% of voters have voted not to allow Washington voters to opt out of the WA Cares payroll tax, which creates a pool of funds that provides long-term health care benefits through programs such as nursing homes.

Local Elections

• State House - District 1 - Position 2 General
  Shelly Kloba* (D) was uncontested

• State House - District 43 - Position 2 General
  Shaun Scott (D) leads Andrea Suarez (D) by 68.3% to 31.7%

• State Senate - District 1 General
  Derek Stanford* (D) was uncontested

• City of Seattle Council Position 8
  Alexis Mercedes Rinck leads Tanya Woo by 57.3% to 42.3%

• City of Seattle Proposition 1
  Around 66.8% of voters have voted to enact a property tax levy that will spend $1.55 billion over five to eight years for infrastructure upgrades, including for streets, sidewalks, and bridges.

Updates about local elections will be posted daily at 4:30 p.m. on the King County Elections website.

Dirt Corps, the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, and the City of Seattle’s Trees for Seattle program are teaming up to present a “Webster Pond Tree Care and Planting” event. The three-hour event will help restore and protect a section of Longfellow Creek Forest in West Seattle.

Participants will learn about how leaves, branches, and decomposition – when used alongside healthy native plants and shrubs — ultimately contribute to the health of urban forests.

The event takes place on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Participants should meet at Webster Pond and can RSVP for the free event through the City of Seattle’s Department of Public Utilities.

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