Incumbent state legislators representing South Snohomish County were easily winning reelection in early returns from the Snohomish County Elections Office Tuesday night. Democratic Reps. Strom Peterson and Lillian Ortiz-Self in the 21st District, and Cindy Ryu and Lauren Davis in the 32nd District had comfortable leads over their Republican challengers. The 21st District includes portions of Edmonds and Lynnwood while the 32nd covers portions of Edmonds and Lynnwood and all of Woodway and Mountlake Terrace.

In the 1st District, which represents Brier, two of the three incumbents — Sen. Derek Stanford and Rep. Shelley Kloba — were running unopposed. Incumbent Rep. Davina Duerr was also comfortably ahead of her challenger. All three 1st District incumbents are Democrats.

In addition, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, an Edmonds resident, won a fourth term, beating Republican challenger Raul Garcia in the race to represent Washington in the U.S. Senate. According to the Washington State Standard, the Associated Press called the election for Cantwell, a four-term senator, at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Cantwell has held the position since 2000. If she wins this fifth term, she will be on track to serve 30 years in the Senate. Garcia has been an emergency room doctor in Yakima for 26 years, and is currently the medical director of Astria Toppenish Hospital.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, whose 2nd Congressional District includes Edmonds and Lynnwood, and U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, who represents Mountlake Terrace and Brier in the 1st Congrssional District, were also leading their Republican challengers.

In the race for Snohomish County Superior Court judge, appointed Position 12 incumbent Whitney Rivera — a former Edmonds Municipal Court judge — was leading challenger Mary Anderson. And for Snohomish County Public Utility District No. 1 Commissioner District 2 — an open seat — Lynnwood City Councilmember Julieta Altamirano Crosby was ahead of challenger Amber King.

Ballot measures

Voters also faced a range of ballot propositions and initiatives both in Washington state and locally.

In Snohomish County, voters were saying no in early returns to Proposition 1, a public safety sales tax levy.

Voters in the Town of Woodway were approving a levy lid lift aimed at addressing the town’s projected annual structural deficit of $500,000 for the next six years. The proposal put before voters calls for the levy to be spread over six years. For Woodway property owners, this would mean an average monthly increase of $53 per $1 million of assessed value, totaling about $3,840 over the six-year period. (Read more in our earlier story here.)

At the state level, the Washington State Standard reported that voters were overwhelmingly rejecting Initiative 2117, a ballot measure to repeal a controversial law that’s generated billions of dollars from polluters to fund the state’s fight against climate change.

Initiative 2117 was losing by a 61.7% to 38.3% margin in the statewide tally Tuesday night with voters in nearly two dozen counties opposing the measure. The ballot measure would repeal a 2021 law, known as the Climate Commitment Act, which established the state’s cap and invest program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The measure also would bar state agencies from imposing any type of program involving the trading of carbon tax credits.

The Standard also reported that an initiative to make Washington’s long-term care program, and paying the tax that funds it, voluntary for state residents was failing, as of Tuesday. About 55.6% of voters supported Initiative 2124 while 44% voted against it.

The initiative would amend the WA Cares program so people could opt out of it at any time. Currently, most workers in the state must take part in the program and pay the tax to support it.

And an initiative to repeal Washington’s capital gains tax, which levies a 7% tax on the sale or exchange of long-term assets like stocks, bonds and business interests, was failing Tuesday night. Voters were opposing Initiative 2109 by 63.2% to 36.8%.

The tax, which was approved in 2021, took effect after the state Supreme Court upheld it last year. The first payments were due in April 2023. The tax is only on gains over $262,000 — adjusted for inflation — and does not apply to real estate sales.

Supporters of the tax said repealing it would hurt state funding for child care and education. Up to $500 million from the tax is deposited annually into a state account for schools, early learning and child care programs.

However, Washington voters in early returns were supporting a ballot measure that aims to rein in the state’s aggressive moves to phase out the use of natural gas in homes and other buildings, the Standard said.

Initiative 2066 was passing by a 51.2% to 48.8% margin in a statewide tally. The initiative would repeal provisions of a new state law meant to hasten Puget Sound Energy’s transition away from natural gas. It also would bars cities and counties from prohibiting, penalizing or discouraging the use of gas for heating, appliances and other equipment in buildings.

The measure, which is 21 pages long, requires utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to eligible customers and prevents approval of utility rate plans that end or restrict access to natural gas, or make it too costly. It also erases state building and energy code requirements designed to get more electric heat pumps – instead of gas furnaces – installed in newly built houses, apartments and commercial buildings.

Results for all ballot measures as well as candidates will be updated as more votes are tallied in the days ahead.

You can see all Snohomish County election results here and statewide results here.

— By Teresa Wippel with reporting from the Washington State Standard