Key races: Rinck secures Seattle City Council position, Pierce County sheriff match-up too close to call
Keep up with the key races and measures during Washington state's 2024 general election.
A number of races and measures are still too close to call after more 2024 general election results dropped Thursday afternoon.
Other high-profile races were called early as voters elected a new governor and attorney general, and Maria Cantwell won a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.
The returns are from ballots that were turned in early and tabulated. Counties will release additional results in the days after the election as more ballots are counted. Additional results are typically released daily.
Governor
Democrat Bob Ferguson is projected to serve as Washington state's next governor.
Ferguson would replace three-term Gov. Jay Inslee next year.
The governor is elected to a four-year term and is the chief executive officer, making appointments for state positions, including state agency directors. The governor also has the power to sign or veto legislation and submit budget recommendations and reports to the Legislature.
State attorney general
Democrat Nick Brown is projected to be elected to serve as Washington state's next attorney general.
The state attorney general serves for four years as legal counsel to the governor, members of the Legislature, state officials and state entities. The Office of the Attorney General is tasked with protecting the public by upholding the Consumer Protection Act.
US Senate
Democrat Maria Cantwell is projected continue to serve in the U.S. Senate.
This will be Cantwell's fifth term.
Senators serve six-year terms. The Senate has 100 members, two from each state. The Senate has several exclusive duties, including consenting to treaties, confirming federal appointments made by the president and trying federal officials impeached by the House.
Congressional districts
Who will represent Washingtonians in all 10 Congressional districts will be decided.
Public lands commissioner
Either Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler or Democrat Dave Upthegrove will replace Hilary Franz as commissioner of public lands.
Herrera Beutler is a former congressional member from District 3, and Upthegrove is King County Council chair.
Upthegrove is leading Herrera Beutler as an initial round of election returns comes in.
The commissioner of public lands heads the Department of Natural Resources, overseeing the management of more than 5 million acres of state land. The commissioner also manages the state's on-call fire department, which works to prevent and fight wildfires on 13 million acres of private, state and tribal-owned land.
The commissioner serves a four-year term.
Seattle City Council
Alexis Mercedes Rinck secured the Seattle City Council Position 8 following a final drop of ballots from King County Thursday afternoon.
Tanya Woo was seeking to be elected to finish out the remainder of the term for Seattle City Council Position 8, which she was appointed to after Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the King County Council.
Woo faced challenger Alexis Mercedes Rinck, an assistant policy director at the University of Washington.
Position 8 is a citywide position.
Pierce County sheriff
Either Keith Swank or Patti Jackson will replace Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer.
Swank spent more than 30 years with the Seattle Police Department in several roles, and Jackson has been with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department for 35 years.
Swank is leading Jackson as an initial round of election returns comes in.
The sheriff is the CEO of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff is responsible for overall operation, direction and leadership.
The sheriff serves a four-year term.
Statewide initiatives
Voters are rejecting at least two of four statewide initiatives.
Initiatives 2117 and 2109 were rejected following an initial round of ballot returns on Nov. 5. Initiatives 2124 and 2066 were still too close to call.
All four are sponsored by conservative group Let's Go Washington.
If approved by voters, the initiatives would:
- Repeal the state's Climate Commitment Act (I-2117)
- Repeal the state capital gains tax (I-2109)
- Allow anyone to opt out of WA Cares, the long-term care program (I-2124)
- Strike a passage of HB 1589 requiring utilities to assess the costs and benefits of replacing natural gas pipelines, infrastructure projects and utility end uses with electric alternatives (I-2066)