(The Center Square) – The race for the next King County executive is too close to call based on preliminary election results that show Girmay Zahilay leading Claudia Balducci, both of whom serve on the King County Council, by a slim margin of 50% to 48%.
The race won’t be called anytime soon as votes will continue to be collected over the next few days. Whoever wins will replace Shannon Braddock, who was appointed to the position on April 1, following the resignation of Down Constantine, who had held the seat for 15 years, to become CEO of Sound Transit.
“There are still a lot of votes to be counted, and we are going to wait and see as more ballots come in,” Balducci said in a statement. “Regardless of the outcome, I’m grateful and humbled that so many people have placed their trust in me to lead them in these tumultuous times.”
Balducci has worked as a lawyer for the Northwest Women’s Law Center, served as the director of King County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, and was a member of the Bellevue City Council and the King County Council for more than a decade each. Additionally, she was the mayor of Bellevue for two years.
Zahilay worked in corporate law and at the Barack Obama White House before serving on the King County Council for the last six years.
Both candidates are similar in their platforms as both politically align more as progressive Democrats. However Zahilay headed into the general election as the frontrunner after earning 44% of the vote to Balducci’s nearly 30%.
Zahilay is seen as the candidate with more ambitious goals, whereas Balducci campaigned with tangible outcomes. Both candidates have supported fiscal accountability within the county.
Affordability is a major concern for King County residents. Zahilay believes it is possible to have both higher minimum wages and support for small businesses. He previously led the charge to pass a council bill that increased the minimum wage in unincorporated King County to a high of $20.29 in 2025.
Zahilay said he will make sure commercial rent costs are addressed, through tax incentives for landlords and commercial tenant assistance programs for small businesses.
Both candidates said they will continue to advocate for the state to get rid of a 1% cap on property tax increases in order to avoid annual budget deficits that lead to potential layoffs and cuts to county-provided services.
Zahilay gained key endorsements including Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. Balducci’s endorsements included 19 King County mayors, The Seattle Times, and U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash.
