by Brett Johnson
As of Monday August 10, over 30% of Pierce County voters have spoken in the August primary election results. Ballots featured several choices including Pierce County Council, State House and Senate seats, various judge positions, and even Precinct Committee Officers. The City of Tacoma also proposed a streets initiative to replace one that was approved 10 years ago and getting close to expiring.
Several of the Coalition’s endorsed candidates sailed to victory with strong margins and are likely to win this fall:
- Bryan Yambe (County Council District 5)
- Brenda Lykins (County Council District 7)
- Sen. Deb Krishnadasan (26th District)
- Rep. Laurie Jinkins & Rep. Jake Fey (27th District)
- Rep. Mari Leavitt & Rep. Dan Bronoske (28th District)
- Rep. Sharlett Mena (29th District Senate)
In addition, several endorsed candidates performed very well and earned a “Top 2” spot on the November general election ballot. Notable results include: Kelsey Barrans (County Council District 1), David Berg & Jenn Marie Strickling (25th District House), Rep. Adison Richards (26th District House), and Krista Perez & Patrick Stickney (29th District House).
Digging into the numbers for Pierce County Council, Bryan Yambe won a whopping 61.5% of the vote. He is in prime position to win a full four-year term after being appointed and then winning a special election last year.
Kudos to Bryan for his grit and persistence. We are also very encouraged by the 57% showing by Brenda Lykins, and remain confident she will earn an even higher percentage in November. That would result in the continuation of the current 4-3 majority on the Pierce County Council, a critical governing body for land use, shorelines, and other environmental issues.
Elsewhere, Kelsey Barrans emerged from a 3-way Democratic field to face the lone Republican in District 1.The winds of change may be coming to Puyallup.
In the 25th Legislative District, David Berg won handily over the third candidate in the race for Position 1. Moreover, the lone Republican incumbent in the race barely tallied 50%, suggesting this will be a close general election race.
For Position 2, Jenn Marie Strickling earned nearly 47% of the vote as she attempts to unseat the incumbent in November. It’s exciting to see the 25th District become competitive again after several difficult years.
Perhaps the most exciting results of the primary occurred in the 29th Legislative District, where endorsed challenger Krista Perez managed to outperform embattled incumbent Rep. Melanie Morgan by nearly 400 votes. She has both the momentum and an excellent chance to win and bring functional and proactive advocacy back to Position 1.
As for Position 2, Patrick Stickney dug in, did the work, and earned a close second place with a solid 20% in a crowded 6-way race. He will face Tacoma City Councilmember Joe Bushnell in the general election.
Bushnell recently received the maximum donation from U.S. Oil, which suggests a lesser degree of concern regarding environmental issues related to fossil fuels. WAY TO GO, Krista and Patrick!
In essence, it was a very strong showing for so many of our endorsed candidates. We will reassess a few races, and perhaps offer a handful of additional endorsements before the fall general election.
Thank you for voting, everyone—let’s do it again this fall!