by Phil Manzano and Rosette Royale
This article was last updated on Saturday, Nov. 11. For more recent elections results, visit our “ELECTIONS UPDATE” page.
A ballot drop from King County Elections on Friday, Nov. 10, brought a change of fortune for progressive City Council incumbent Tammy Morales: She now leads challenger Tanya Woo in what’s turned into a topsy-turvy District 2 race.
On Nov. 7, Woo jumped out in front, with a 9-percentage-point lead over Morales on election night in District 2, which stretches from Yesler Terrace to Rainier View. But the most recent election totals show Morales with 50.5% of the vote, while Woo holds 49.2%. Morales currently holds a 315-vote lead over Woo.
It’s not the only close race. In District 4, which encompasses Wallingford and Wedgwood, Maritza Rivera, with 50.5% of the vote, holds a small edge over Ron Davis, with 49.1%.
Yet several races have been called by local media organizations. Among the victors: Rob Saka has claimed District 1; Joy Hollingsworth took District 3; and current City Councilmember Dan Strauss won reelection in District 6. Cathay Moore claimed District 5 earlier in the week.
In District 7, current Councilmember Andrew Lewis conceded the race to his opponent, Bob Kettle.
Another ballot drop is expected on Monday, Nov. 13.
Here are the totals, as of Nov. 10, for City Council races:
District 1
Rob Saka: 54% Winner
Maren Costa: 45%
District 2
Tanya Woo: 49%
Tammy Morales: 51%
District 3
Joy Hollingsworth: 53% Winner
Alex Hudson: 46%
District 4
Maritza Rivera: 51%
Ron Davis 49%
District 5
Cathy Moore: 64% Winner
ChrisTiana ObeySumner: 35%
District 6
Dan Strauss: 51% Winner
Pete Hanning: 48%
District 7
Bob Kettle: 51% Winner
Andrew J. Lewis: 49%
Thursday, Nov. 9, Results
Another 100,000 ballots were counted by King County Elections Thursday, Nov. 9, and the race for Seattle’s District 2 between incumbent Councilmember Tammy Morales and challenger Tanya Woo tightened significantly.
What was an initial 9-percentage-point lead for Woo on election night Tuesday, Nov. 7, was down to 3 points, with 51% of the ballots cast for Woo and 48% for Morales, after the latest ballot results were posted Thursday late afternoon. Woo has a 634-vote lead over Morales, 10,030 votes to 9,396.
“I look forward to seeing more votes counted and likely swinging more progressive in the coming days,” Morales said in a statement Thursday before the latest results were posted. “This race is about greedy corporations and real estate tycoons trying to meddle with local elections. They want to rig the system against electeds that believe in people over profits. Their influence and money may look strong right now, but I have faith in our communities.”
In a statement made late Wednesday, Nov. 8, Woo said, “I am humbled and encouraged with the results; it’s still early, and there are a lot of ballots left to be counted. I am very proud of the race we ran and I am deeply grateful for the support of residents in South Seattle.”
At first, it appeared voters were hungry for change, and all three incumbent City Councilmembers seeking reelection — Morales, Daniel Strauss (District 6), and Andrew Lewis (District 7) — were trailing their challengers on Tuesday night.
After Thursday, Strauss, who trailed challenger Pete Hanning by a narrow 1% margin, flipped the results and is leading Hanning, 50% to 49%.
Lewis, who was trailing challenger Bob Kettle by about 12 percentage points, made up some ground but is still behind Kettle by 7 percentage points, 53% to 46%.
Here are where the Seattle City Council races stand as of Thursday night:
District 1
Rob Saka: 57%
Maren Costa: 43%
District 2
Tanya Woo: 51%
Tammy Morales: 48%
District 3
Joy Hollingsworth: 56%
Alex Hudson: 43%
District 4
Maritza Rivera: 53%
Ron Davis 47%
District 5
Cathy Moore: 67%
ChrisTiana ObeySumner: 33%
District 6
Dan Strauss: 50%
Pete Hanning: 49%
District 7
Bob Kettle: 53%
Andrew J. Lewis: 46%
Wednesday’s count was delayed after the elections headquarters had to be evacuated after receiving a letter containing white powder and required fire hazmat teams to clean and clear the mailroom before counting could resume. King County Elections plans to resume counting ballots on the morning of Friday, Nov. 10.
Phil Manzano is a South Seattle writer, editor with more than 30 years of experience in daily journalism, and is the interim news editor for the Emerald.
Rosette Royale (he/she/they) is a writer and storyteller, whose first gig in journalism was in 1995 at the Provincetown Banner, on the tip of Cape Cod. Rosette moved to Seattle in 2003 and spent more than a decade as a reporter and editor at Real Change. Rosette loves to elevate the voices of people whose stories often go unheard. And when they aren’t reading, Rosette’s cooking up something good in the kitchen.
📸 Featured Image: King County Elections employees sorting ballots in 2017. (Photo courtesy of King County Elections.)
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