Leaderboard jostled in WA legislative races with latest vote tally

A second day of ballot counting didn’t go well for a former Washington state lawmaker pursuing a comeback, but it did for a Republican legislator seeking a second term.

Across the state, margins grew and shrank in other closely watched contests with Wednesday’s tally. More changes will come until the primary results are final later this month.

Freshman Rep. Brian Burnett, R-Wenatchee, moved ahead of Democrat Stacy Willoughby after trailing on election night in their duel in the 12th Legislative District.

Burnett, a former county sheriff, led Willoughby, a first-time candidate and financial services professional, by 108 votes. He had 50.1% to her 49.8% in the Republican-leaning district that stretches west from Chelan County to the city of Monroe in Snohomish County. Her advantage was 46 votes on Tuesday.

In the battle for the other House seat, two Republicans, Rep. Mike Steele and Adam James, received a combined 67% of votes cast. As of Wednesday, Steele and Democrat Maggie Adams will advance to the general election.

Meanwhile, ex-state representative Robert Sutherland, a conservative Republican, slipped to third place in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Carolyn Eslick in the 39th District.

Democrat Ida Keeley leads with 46.4%, followed by Republican Steve Ewing with 25.8% and Sutherland with 25.2%. Ewing trailed by 26 votes on Tuesday but moved in front by 148 on Wednesday. Sutherland is trying to return to the district he represented for two terms before getting unseated in 2022.

In Pierce County, Democrat Krista Perez expanded her advantage on Rep. Melanie Morgan, D-Parkland, in the 29th District.

Perez, who led by just five votes on election night, was ahead by 366 after Wednesday. She had 48.7% to Morgan’s 46%. As they are the only candidates, the two will face off in November.

Meanwhile, the race for the other House seat is a tight one. Democrats Joe Bushnell and Patrick Stickney are ahead, but less than 700 votes separate the top four candidates.

Bushnell has 22%, followed by Stickney with 20.5%, Democrat Natasha Laitila with 18.4% and Republican Darek Blum with 17.5%. Bushnell holds a 229-vote lead and is only 688 votes ahead of Blum.

In King County, Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, increased her lead on Redmond City Councilmember Jessica Forsythe in the 48th District after Wednesday’s count.

Walen had 50.9% to Forsythe’s 46.5% as the difference between them stood at 715, up from the 618-vote margin on Tuesday. They are the only candidates in the race and will meet in November.

Little changed in the 32nd District that straddles the border of Snohomish and King counties, where a Democrat state representative is trying to oust the incumbent Democrat senator.

Rep. Cindy Ryu widened her lead on Sen. Jesse Salomon in a battle of two established lawmakers. Ryu has 41.6% of the vote to Salomon’s 38.5%. Both will advance to the general election in this solid Democratic district.

In the contest to replace Ryu, Shoreline City Councilmember Keith Scully maintained the top position with 25.3% of the vote. Attorney Danica Noble is in second with 23.1%, followed by Republican Lisa Rezac with 20.6%

In Spokane County, only a few hundred votes separate a trio of candidates seeking to replace Democrat Rep. Timm Ormsby of Spokane, who is retiring after two decades representing the 3rd District.

Republican Natalie Poulson leads with 33.2%, followed by Democrats Pam Kohlmeier with 31.6% and Luc Jasmin III with 31.1%. Poulson held a 413-vote lead over Kohlmeier and only 551 votes separated her from Jasmin.

Ballot counting continues Thursday with counties facing an Aug. 18 deadline to certify results. The secretary of state will certify the 2026 primary election results by Aug. 21.