2005 King County Executive election
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The 2005 King County Executive election was held on November 8, 2005. The election, which was the first to take place after Washington's blanket primary was invalidated, used separate primaries.[1] Incumbent Democratic County Executive Ron Sims, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2004, ran for re-election to a third term. He was challenged by two lesser-known candidates in the Democratic primary, and won by a wide margin, but the race was closer than expected.[2]
In the general election, Sims was challenged by County Councilman David Irons, the Republican nominee. Irons attacked Sims for his "lack of experience in knowing how to manage and lead," citing alleged mismanagement of the county elections office during the 2004 gubernatorial election.[3] Though Sims's campaign acknowledged that seeking a third term was a challenge due to voter fatigue, and Irons was seen as a strong candidate, Sims defeated him in a landslide, winning 56 percent of the vote to Irons's 40 percent.[4]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Ron Sims, incumbent County Executive[4]
- Karen Rispoli, former prison guard[5]
- Michael Nelson, perennial candidate[6]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Michael Nelson |
Karen Rispoli |
Ron Sims |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[7] | August 30 – September 1, 2005 | 351 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 8% | 17% | 62% | 13% |
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ron Sims (inc.) | 123,363 | 70.48% | |
| Democratic | Karen Rispoli | 34,816 | 19.89% | |
| Democratic | Michael Nelson | 15,969 | 9.12% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 886 | 0.51% | |
| Total votes | 175,034 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- David Irons, County Councilman[4]
Declined
- Dino Rossi, former State Senator, 2004 Republican nominee for Governor (endorsed Irons)[9]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Drozd | 97,158 | 99.44% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 552 | 0.56% | |
| Total votes | 98,070 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Ron Sims (D) |
David Irons (R) |
Gentry Lange (G) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[7] | August 30 – September 1, 2005 | 1,642 (RV) | ± 2.5% | 49% | 41% | – | 10% |
| SurveyUSA[11] | September 30 – October 2, 2005 | 467 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 50% | 45% | – | 6% |
| SurveyUSA[12] | October 14–16, 2005 | 522 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 43% | 46% | 7% | 4% |
| SurveyUSA[13] | October 28–30, 2005 | 591 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 48% | 41% | 8% | 3% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ron Sims (inc.) | 293,777 | 55.62% | |
| Republican | David Irons | 209,021 | 39.57% | |
| Green | Gentry Lange | 24,073 | 4.56% | |
| Write-in | 1,296 | 0.25% | ||
| Total votes | 528,167 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Notes
References
- ^ Ammons, David (September 21, 2005). "Voting goes smoothly across state". The Everett Herald. p. B6. Retrieved July 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Little-known foes cut Sims' showing". The Seattle Times. September 20, 2005. Archived from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ Sanders, Eli (August 4, 2005). "Lowered Expectations: A Diminished Ron Sims Seeks Third Term". The Stranger. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c Roberts, Gregory (October 31, 2005). "Going for third term, Sims is in tough race". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Sims' opponent in primary backs Irons". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. October 17, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Nickels faces no big-name challengers". The Seattle Times. July 30, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ a b "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #6761". September 2, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "KING COUNTY - September 20, 2005 - DEM". King County Elections. September 30, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ Ammons, David (July 1, 2005). "Rossi says Senate bid, Gregoire rematch not certain". The Olympian. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "KING COUNTY - September 20, 2005 - REP". King County Elections. September 30, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #7057". October 3, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #7192". October 17, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #7369". October 31, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "KING COUNTY - General Election 2005". King County Elections. November 29, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2025.