The Roundup: What Can We Expect in the General Election?
From the Editor
What's up, South End?
The talk of the town this week are the results from the primary elections. As soon as the first ballot drop was delivered, the streets were buzzing — a lot of incumbents were behind in the polls, including Mayor Bruce Harrell, City Attorney Ann Davison, and City Councilmember Sara Nelson.
Over here at the Emerald, we are also keeping a close eye on the King County Executive race, where South End native Girmay Zahilay has an early lead. (For the record, our newsroom can't endorse any candidate … but Zahilay has a strong reputation for always looking out for Skyway, an area of unincorporated King County that's often overlooked.)
So … we have the early results, but what do they mean? I wanted to understand where we are, and what we can expect in the upcoming general election, so I reached out to an expert: Crystal Fincher, political analyst, political strategist, and executive director of KVRU.
This interview was recorded Thursday afternoon. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
MD: Let's start with King County. What is your takeaway with the current results?
CF: I think a lot of people thought this would be a close race. I'm not surprised to see Girmay coming out ahead. This, in contrast to some of the other races in the City of Seattle, doesn't look as conclusive for the general election as some of the others. Girmay certainly has a healthy lead, but Claudia Balducci has accomplished a lot, particularly in Bellevue and on the east side, where she's from.
So I am not saying this with an absolute degree of certainty, but at this point, with the information that we have so far, I would say, I think Girmay presented a vision of what King County's future could and should be that was really attractive to people. And particularly with this federal administration, I think that a lot of people have confidence that Girmay is up to the task of not only opposing the pressures and complications of the federal administration, but that he will also drive a vision forward to fight for what's possible when it comes to policy that helps everyday people.
MD: Any surprises in the District 2 results?
CF: I'm not surprised to see [Adonis] Ducksworth and [Eddie] Lin going through. What surprised me was seeing how much they are up by. This was a race where there were four real, serious, credible candidates. They all brought different things to the table, but there was a case to be made for all of them. I would not have been surprised to see more of a distribution of the vote, particularly between the three people who were probably going for the more progressive lane, as opposed to a Ducksworth, who's [in a] more moderate lane. Looking at that consolidation behind Eddie, I think, reinforces that endorsements, particularly getting The Stranger's endorsement, is still very impactful, especially in cases where voters aren't familiar with the people involved. You don't have an incumbent, they haven't heard of them, so they're looking for other validators in terms of endorsements.
MD: The mayoral race is a big one. The results raised a lot of eyebrows. What's your take? What happens if these results hold and [Katie] Wilson becomes mayor?
CF: I think there is one thing that I think people underestimate about Katie Wilson: I see her characterized as a newcomer. That is not who she is. She's arguably more successful than anyone on the council and the mayor in terms of passing policy that directly impacts people. She has led many coalitions. Her specialty is translating public sentiment of regular everyday people into policy that will pass at the ballot box. She has led so many successful municipal initiatives. So, I think that if people underestimate her, and if she does get into that seat, they do so at their own peril.
The Roundup Rundown
Emerald contributor Maya Tizon has a follow-up to her reporting last week on the fire at the Columbia Funeral Home.
Investigators have concluded at least five fires, including the one at the funeral home, were the result of arson. No one has been arrested, but there is up to a $10,000 reward for tips resulting in arrest or conviction.
What if I told you there was a theatrical wealth inequality tour in the South End? Sounds wild, right? Well, it is real and it is happening now.
Emerald contributing arts reporter Jas Keimig took the tour and has all the details in their latest report.
I’m not the only one at the Emerald who had eyes on the local elections.
Contributing columnist Tobias Coughlin-Bogue covered the results in the latest edition of Everything Is Political.
And if you want even more local election coverage, Maya Tizon also wrote about the results. In Maya’s reporting, she took an interesting angle. She reported on the thoughts of … you. That’s right, she has the opinions of the people.
At the Emerald’s District 2 debate, we distributed an audience survey about the major issues. To learn what community members think the major topics are in our district, read Maya’s full report here.
Mike Davis is the newsletter editor and Voices editor at the South Seattle Emerald. Born and raised in Seattle's South End, Mike is a longtime journalist who's covered everything from arts and culture to sports to politics.
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