2003 Snohomish County Executive election

2003 Snohomish County Executive election
	November 4, 2003
County Executive before election; Bob Drewel; Democratic	Elected County Executive ; Aaron Reardon; Democratic

The 2003 Snohomish County Executive election took place on November 4, 2003, to elect the county executive of Snohomish County, Washington. Incumbent Democratic County Executive Bob Drewel was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a fourth term. A crowded race developed to succeed him, with six candidates running in total. State Senator Aaron Reardon, former State Senator Kevin Quigley, and prosecutor Millie Judge competed for the nomination, while Edmonds City Council President Dave Earling, businesswoman Betty Neighbors, and entrepreneur Bob McCaughan sought the Republican nomination.^[1]

Reardon placed first in the primary, winning 25 percent of the vote. Earling narrowly defeated Neighbors for the Republican nomination, placing second with 22 percent of the vote while Neighbors won 19 percent.^[2]

In the general election, Reardon narrowly defeated Earling, winning 52 percent of the vote to Earling's 48 percent, and became the youngest County Executive in county history.^[3]

Primary election

Candidates

Aaron Reardon, State Senator (Democratic)^[4]
Dave Earling, Edmonds City Council President (Republican)^[5]
Betty Neighbors, businesswoman (Republican)^[6]
Kevin Quigley, former State Senator (Democratic)^[7]
Millie Judge, deputy county prosecuting attorney (Democratic)^[8]
Bob McCaughan, entrepreneur (Republican)^[9]

Results

Blanket primary results^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Aaron Reardon	24,246	25.32%
	Republican	Dave Earling	21,010	21.94%
	Republican	Betty Neighbors	18,638	19.46%
	Democratic	Kevin Quigley	17,396	18.17%
	Democratic	Millie Judge	9,753	10.19%
	Republican	Bob McCaughan	4,415	4.61%
	Write-in		300	0.31%
Total votes			95,758	100.00%

General election

Results

2003 Snohomish County Executive election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Aaron Reardon	64,068	51.77%
	Republican	Dave Earling	59,433	48.03%
	Write-in		246	0.20%
Total votes			123,747	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References

^ Balta, Victoria; Velush, Lukas (August 2, 2003). "County exec race draws state's focus". The Everett Herald. p. A1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Kelly, Brian (September 17, 2003). "It's Earling vs. Reardon: Voters narrow county executive field to two". The Everett Herald. p. A1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Langston, Jennifer (November 4, 2003). "Other Counties: Unofficial returns put Reardon in executive seat". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
^ Kelly, Brian (June 3, 2003). "Reardon joins county chief race". The Everett Herald. p. B1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Langston, Jennifer (June 26, 2002). "Edmonds City Council president enters race for county executive". The Everett Herald. p. B8. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Kelly, Brian (January 30, 2003). "Executive's race broadens". The Everett Herald. p. B2. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Cornwalll, Warren (March 2, 2002). "First official candidate files for county executive". The Everett Herald. p. B2. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Kelly, Brian (January 15, 2003). "Deputy prosecutor enters race for county executive". The Everett Herald. p. B1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Election connection: Snohomish County Executive". The Everett Herald. August 24, 2003. p. B3. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "FINAL OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS - SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WASHINGTON - PRIMARY ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 16, 2003". Snohomish County Auditor. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
^ "OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS - SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WASHINGTON - GENERAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 4, 2003". Snohomish County Auditor. Retrieved July 31, 2025.

[1] Balta, Victoria; Velush, Lukas (August 2, 2003). "County exec race draws state's focus". The Everett Herald. p. A1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] Kelly, Brian (September 17, 2003). "It's Earling vs. Reardon: Voters narrow county executive field to two". The Everett Herald. p. A1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] Langston, Jennifer (November 4, 2003). "Other Counties: Unofficial returns put Reardon in executive seat". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved July 31, 2025.

[4] Kelly, Brian (June 3, 2003). "Reardon joins county chief race". The Everett Herald. p. B1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] Langston, Jennifer (June 26, 2002). "Edmonds City Council president enters race for county executive". The Everett Herald. p. B8. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] Kelly, Brian (January 30, 2003). "Executive's race broadens". The Everett Herald. p. B2. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] Cornwalll, Warren (March 2, 2002). "First official candidate files for county executive". The Everett Herald. p. B2. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] Kelly, Brian (January 15, 2003). "Deputy prosecutor enters race for county executive". The Everett Herald. p. B1. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] "Election connection: Snohomish County Executive". The Everett Herald. August 24, 2003. p. B3. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "FINAL OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS - SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WASHINGTON - PRIMARY ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 16, 2003". Snohomish County Auditor. Retrieved July 31, 2025.

[11] "OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS - SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WASHINGTON - GENERAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 4, 2003". Snohomish County Auditor. Retrieved July 31, 2025.

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