OLYMPIA, Wash. — After two post-Election Day ballot returns, the race for a vacant seat on the Washington state Supreme Court remains tightly contested.
In fact, just over 4,000 of the over 2 million cast currently separates Sal Mungia from challenger Dave Larson for this nonpartisan seat. As of the latest results released on Wednesday night, Mungia has 1,237,842 votes while Larson has 1,233,691 votes.
This is the first time in 12 years that Washington voters will select a new state Supreme Court justice.
Larson, who has run for the state Supreme Court before, has been critical of the court’s rulings on COVID-19 vaccine mandates, determining the state’s capital gains tax was legal, and the decision to throw out the state’s drug possession law in 2021. Mungia, an attorney for 40 years, said the state’s high court made the right call on the capital gains tax and the drug law.
The position is nonpartisan, and neither party has formally endorsed a candidate. However, state Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh told KING 5 the party is supporting Larson's candidacy, while Mungia is supported by the state's Democratic Party, a spokesperson told KING 5.
Both candidates said they would rule without being biased toward a party.
“My whole position as a lawyer has always been to represent my clients. As a judge, I will remain neutral. I have to do that. That's the position,” said Mungia.
Larson agreed, “When something gets in the judiciary, there should be a sigh of relief that it's in a place that's not political, and it's going to make decisions that will help people move on and solve problems."
Click here for the latest results for all of the statewide and local races in Washington.
KING 5's Drew Mikkelsen contributed to this report.
