Update (Aug. 3, 4:25 p.m.): Another 38,000 ballots have been counted, and again, Cary Moon has been the beneficiary. Moon gained exactly 600 on her next closest competitor, Nikkita Oliver, and now leads her by more than 2,500 votes in the still-tight race for second place. She also extended her advantage over former Rep. Jessyn Farrell, currently in fourth place, to just under 6,000 votes.
In a statement, Moon again did not claim victory and a spot on the November ballot, saying merely that her campaign is "still on the right track."
"As an engineer, I want to make sure we have our facts right, and as a coalition builder I know it’s going to take all of us working together to ensure our city’s future is not sold to the highest bidder," she said. "Seattle’s voters won’t let the future of our city be sunk by status quo thinking and politics as usual. There is too much at stake. Now is the time for change. We all belong here, and deserve a voice in shaping our city’s future."
Update (Aug. 2, 5:15 p.m.): With 15,000-plus additional ballots counted, Cary Moon has extended her advantage on second-place — and the final spot on the general election ballot — by more than 500 votes, and now holds a lead of nearly 2,000 votes on Nikkita Oliver and nearly 4,000 votes on Jessyn Farrell.
In a statement, Moon was not ready to claim victory.
"The numbers look good," she said. "We're right on track."
The next round of results will be released by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
Original Story (Aug. 1, 11:15 p.m.): Some things were certain after the first round of primary election results were released on Tuesday night.
Former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan will advance to the general. State Sen. Bob Hasegawa and former Mayor Mike McGinn will not.
And for the first time in nearly 90 years, Seattle will have a female mayor.
That’s where the certainty ends.
While Durkan was in first place with just under 32 percent of the ballots counted in early returns, the next three candidates were separated by just over 3,000 votes. Leading that race for second is urban planner and activist Cary Moon, at 15.6 percent, followed by organizer and lawyer Nikkita Oliver, behind by less than 1,500 votes. Former state Rep. Jessyn Farrell also remained within striking distance, just under 2,000 votes behind Oliver.
Hasegawa and McGinn were fifth and sixth place, respectively.
After speaking to supporters at a primary night party in Pioneer Square, Durkan told the Queen Anne & Magnolia News that she felt “honored that our message really connected with voters.”
“I think people believe in the city, believe in the vision that we’re spelling, and believe that we can be that inclusive city of the future,” she said.
Her task now? Convincing the two-thirds of primary voters who chose one of the other 20 candidates, or those who didn’t vote, that she’s the best fit.
“I’m going to work as hard as I did in these weeks,” she said. “I’m going to go door-to-door, I’m going to make calls in small rooms and big rooms, and listen to voters, and talk to voters, and we will leave nothing to chance.”
When asked what her message will be going forward, Durkan took a broad approach.
“I really believe this election is not about who will be mayor, but it’s about what will Seattle be like for the next generation,” she said. “How do we build that city of the future that we love, just as much as we love this city?”
Meanwhile, Moon, Oliver, and Farrell will wait to see what the remaining ballots mean for their campaigns, and whether they move on to November.
“Seattle’s voters won’t let the future of our city be sunk by status quo thinking and politics as usual,” Moon said in a statement. “There is too much at stake.”
So far, just under 90,000 votes have been counted, approximately 19 percent of registered voters in the city. Late last week, King County Elections was projecting final turnout of 38 percent.
The next round of results will be released by King County at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, and every weekday thereafter until the primary is certified on Aug. 15.
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