Whew – election night is always exciting for folks involved in politics, but Tuesday’s results were more surprising than usual. We’ll break down what it means for Stand’s priorities and for young people in Washington. As a vote-by-mail state, final results may not be available for several weeks, and some races remain too close to call.
Stand-endorsed candidates win big
We’re proud to report that on election night, 100% of Stand-endorsed candidates across 20 races were ahead. That trend has continued through several subsequent ballot drops. In one additional race (LD 32 House position 1), Stand endorsed both candidates running. The outcome of that race remains too close to call, with only 982 votes separating the two candidates as of this writing.
We endorsed candidates in open seats who have bold, practical ideas for supporting children and youth in our state. The incumbents we endorsed have a track record of championing issues impacting children and youth, are willing to take bold stands within their caucuses, and partner with Stand and with their colleagues to get things done.
Mixed results for ballot initiatives
Stand endorsed a No position on all three statewide ballot initiatives. As of this writing, two initiatives – the proposal to repeal the Millionaire’s Tax and the proposal to repeal amendments to the parents’ bill of rights – are failing.
Unfortunately, a third initiative – I-638 – appears to be passing with a majority of the vote. We remain deeply concerned that this initiative will harm LGBTQ students, while also placing barriers to participation in girls’ sports for all girls.
Other notable results
This election saw a number of surprise results – the most significant for education in Washington is undoubtedly the outcome of the 37 LD House race. Longtime education chair Sharon Tomiko Santos lost her seat to Kelabe Tewolde, also a Democrat, who has pulled in nearly 63% of the vote. It remains to be seen who will be chosen to chair the education committee, but this is a significant shakeup in state education policy playing field.
One additional challenge to a sitting Democrat from another Democrat remains too close to call: Rep Cindy Ryu is about 400 votes ahead of incumbent Senator Jesse Salomon in the 32nd LD.
Currently Democratic challengers are ahead of Republican incumbents in 8 House races (17, 18, 14, LD 12 House position 1, LD 25 House Position 1). Some of these races remain too close to call. In addition, a Democratic challenger is currently ahead of Republican Senator Drew MacEwen in LD 35.
What this all means for Washington
The legislature will have MANY new members next session – more than previously expected. The Democratic majority will grow in the House and possibly in the Senate. The state continues to face a deficit in the next two year budget (even as the Millionaire’s Tax is expected to bring in revenue starting in 2029). This will make next session very challenging as new members get up to speed quickly with a huge range of policy issues while simultaneously working to reduce state spending by $1-$4billion.
Stand will be advocating hard that these cuts do not come at the expense of programs that are working to improve outcomes for students.
