This story was originally published on mynorthwest.com.
Two King County Councilmembers, Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay, are locked in a tight race to become the next executive of the county.
Last November, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that he is not seeking reelection in 2025, after holding the title for 15 years — the longest anyone has served as executive in King County since 1968. Constantine officially became the CEO of Sound Transit four months later.
Zahilay took a sizeable lead in August’s primary election. He earned 202,007 votes (44.0%) compared to Balducci’s 136,479 votes (29.8%).
But, according to a Civic Heartbeat Survey commissioned by the Northwest Progressive Institute (NPI), Balducci holds a slight lead (37% to 35%) over Zahilay. According to a conversation with The Seattle Times, Andrew Villeneuve, director of NPI, revealed that the poll’s result was one of the “closest results we’ve ever seen in our polling.”
Zahilay left corporate law to serve on the King County Council, a position he has held for the past six years. Balducci’s background in government roles is dense, with her career starting as the director of King County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention after she worked as a lawyer for the Northwest Women’s Law Center.
Balducci then served on the Bellevue City Council and the King County Council for more than a decade each. She was even the mayor of Bellevue for two years.
Both candidates are self-described “progressive Democrats,” vying for more affordable housing, more efficient public transit, and more protections against the Trump administration’s flurry of executive orders.
Gov. Bob Ferguson, state Attorney General Nick Brown, and U.S. Reps have endorsed Zahilay. Pramila Jayapal and Adam Smith.
Balducci has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer, and 19 different King County mayors.
John Wilson bows out of race
King County Assessor John Wilson suspended his campaign for King County executive in June after he was arrested last week for allegedly violating a restraining order filed by his ex-fiancée, Lee Keller.
Although Wilson was arrested, no charges were filed against him. In October, Wilson announced, via a prepared statement, that the case between him and his former fiancée had been dropped.
He also announced that he is not seeking reelection as assessor because “the county deserves better.” Several King County council members were calling for Wilson’s resignation after he was arrested.
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