by Brett Johnson
With most of the ballots now counted for the 2025 local election, turnout in Pierce County topped out around 34%–a strong turnout for an off-year election. We are incredibly proud of our endorsed candidates for running effective campaigns, and in many cases winning. Well done!
Bryan Yambe secured over 57% of the vote to retain his District 5 seat on the Pierce County Council and preserve a critical 4-3 majority. Despite a lot of ridiculous independent spending, misleading campaign literature, and last-minute antics from both his opponent and local media, he prevailed with flying colors.
He will be on the ballot again in 2026 and will serve for a full 4-year term if he wins. Way to go, Bryan and team!
Deb Krishnadasan won a tough race to retain her State Senate seat in District 26 (Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, Bremerton) and defeated Representative Michelle Caldier by about 3,000 votes. It was another tight legislative race in the swing district, and big spenders once again attempted to influence the outcome with millions of dollars in outlandish ads and mailers.
Krishnadasan and her team did the work and took the time to listen and earn the trust of voters. What a super result in one of the biggest races of the year! Krishnadasan will also be on the ballot again in 2026 to run for a full 4-year term.
Congratulations to Dick Marzano for reelection to the Port of Tacoma Commission–he won easily, tallying over 65%. Our other endorsed candidate Cyrus Donato ran a very strong campaign for the open seat, earning nearly 48% of the vote. His opponent JT Wilcox had notable advantages in fundraising, endorsements, and political ties. We are proud of Donato and his team for making it a close race. With such strong credentials and his first campaign now in the rearview mirror, we hope he will run for Port Commission again.
Several candidates in smaller municipalities won, and we’re excited for what they will bring to the table. In DuPont, Susan Walton retained her seat for Position 7 in a landslide, notching 65%. In Gig Harbor, Patrick Ammann won a big victory for the open seat for Position 2, besting his opponent by about 6%, while Emily Stone soundly defeated her challenger to retain Position 3 with 64% of the vote.
In Steilacoom, Elizabeth Grasher won the race for Mayor by defeating longtime GOP politician Dick Muri by a solid margin of 13%! Cindy Haverkamp won the open seat for Town Council Position 2 by nearly 20%. Alecia Cunningham prevailed in University Place for Position 3 by the same wide margin. Woot!
In Lakewood, the results were mixed. On the bright side, Ellen Talbo soundly defeated her opponent Mark Herr for Position 1 by nearly 12%. Ellen and her team ran a great campaign that focused on the fundamentals, and the results clearly show that.
For Position 2, Mike Brandstetter won by a wide margin to retain his seat in a race that was less competitive. Finally, Jennifer Lamari did not garner the voter support needed to defeat a strong opponent in Philip Lindholm for Position 3. After running such strong campaigns, both Talbo and Lindholm could become strong candidates at the county or state level in the future–we’ll be watching Lakewood closely in the coming years.
In Puyallup, all three races for City Council were competitive, and all three of our endorsed candidates ran SUPERB campaigns in an effort to defeat conservative incumbents. For starters, Lindsay Smolko was elected in District 3, having defeated Mark Crosby for the open seat by over 7%. Way to go Lindsay!
She will fill the seat soon to be vacated by the one and only Julie Door, who is completing her last term on the council. In District 2, Heather Schiller is trailing incumbent Dennis King by a mere 52 votes.
As ballot returns continue to come in, Schiller and her campaign will determine whether or not to go “ballot chasing” in an effort to squeak out a win before the election is certified. In District 1, Jeff Bennett is not far behind incumbent Jim Kastama either, trailing by only 70 votes! Bennett gave the longtime legislator and local politician a run for his money (literally). We remain hopeful that the tide is turning and Puyallup will have better representation in the future.
We had three great candidates for Parks Tacoma Board. Recent appointee Alisa Lee won easily, winning over 77% of the vote in a less than competitive race.
Malachi Cabera ran a very strong campaign, but could not overcome the advantages of name recognition and endorsements carried by recently-appointed former Tacoma Public Schools Superintendent Carla Santorno. He narrowed the margin to less than 6%–most impressive for a young, first-time candidate running against an opponent with so many advantages. We truly hope Cabera will run for office again in the future.
Finally, challenger Bronwyn Clarke defeated incumbent Pete Reyes for Position 3, 55% – 44%. Our Coalition has been supporting Clarke since early in the appointment process last winter. She was passed over three times before deciding to challenge the third appointee Reyes in the election. Educated at Oxford, she has much to offer both in expertise and fresh ideas, and we can’t wait to see her go to work to bring positive changes to our neighborhood parks.
Congratulations on running super campaigns, all three!
Finally, while we chose not to engage in any City of Tacoma races this year, we look forward to working with Mayor-elect Anders Ibsen, newly-elected City Councilmember Latasha Palmer, and other Tacoma City Council members in the coming years to build consensus and solve our most pressing problems.
And, after observing returns across the county, we also anticipate engaging more with candidates in places like Fife and Sumner in future elections. Thank you candidates, campaign staff, and volunteers for your admirable efforts this year!