Washington State election results on Tuesday are putting Kshama Sawant's challenge to Adam Smith in the 9th Congressional District at the center of Seattle-area primary races. The top-two system means the two finishers with the most votes move on to the November election, regardless of party.
Smith has represented the district for nearly three decades and faces four challengers: Sawant, Melissa Chaudhry, Doug Basler and Jacob Perasso. That field matters because the 9th Congressional District heavily favors Democrats, so the main question in the count is which two candidates can consolidate enough support to advance.
9th Congressional District race
Sawant, a former Seattle City Councilmember and independent socialist candidate, is trying to turn a movement-based campaign into a direct challenge against Smith. Chaudhry is also running as a Democratic challenger, Basler is the Republican in the race, and Perasso is the Socialist Workers Party candidate. Under Washington's primary rules, only the top two vote-getters remain on the November ballot.
The setup leaves little room for splitting the same bloc of voters. If opposition to Smith divides among multiple challengers, the threshold to reach the November election rises for each one, while Smith's long record in the district gives him the advantage of incumbency in a race with four challengers.
Seattle-area Democratic split
The same divide is showing up in other Seattle-area contests. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has backed Hannah Sabio-Howell in the 43rd Legislative District Senate race against Jamie Pedersen and also backed Ron Davis in the 46th District House race against Gerry Pollet. Wilson is putting political capital behind candidates trying to unseat veteran Democratic lawmakers.
Sabio-Howell has argued that Pedersen is not moving urgently enough on affordability, taxation and worker protections. Pedersen and his supporters counter that he has delivered some of the Legislature's most consequential progressive policies. His campaign has raised more than $460,000 and spent about $342,000, while Sabio-Howell has reported raising roughly $98,000.
What Tuesday's count decides
Tuesday's count will show which candidates are positioned to move into November in the 9th Congressional District, the 43rd Legislative District Senate race and the 46th District House race. The first round does not settle these contests; it decides who survives to the November election under the top-two system.
