2025 King County Executive election
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The 2025 King County Executive election will be held in King County, Washington during the 2025 United States general election. Former County Executive Dow Constantine announced in November 2024 that he would not seek re-election. He was then replaced by Interim County Executive Shannon Braddock upon his appointment as CEO of Sound Transit.
Background
The election will be held in 2025, and will be the last King County Executive election to be held in an odd-numbered year. In 2022, a King County charter amendment was passed that moved elections of several offices, including county executive, to even-numbered years. This means that starting after this election, the Executive will be elected in even-numbered years, starting in 2028. Therefore, this election will be to serve out a three year term instead of the normal four year term.[1][2][3]
Incumbent Dow Constantine was first elected in 2009 and had served four terms since. He announced on November 12, 2024 that he would not seek re-election.[4] The Sound Transit board of directors, of which Constantine was a member, announced his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in March 2025. He was replaced as County Executive by Deputy Executive Shannon Braddock until the seat could be filled in the regularly scheduled November 2025 General Election.[5]
Candidates
Declared
- Claudia Balducci, chair of the King County Council (2020–present) from the 6th district (2016–present)[6]
- Derek Chartrand[7]
- Bill Hirt, perennial candidate[7]
- Amiya Ingram, Microsoft AI policy strategist[7]
- Don Rivers, perennial candidate[7]
- Rebecca Williamson, candidate for Seattle City Council in 2021 and 2023[7]
- Girmay Zahilay, King County Councilmember from the 2nd district (2020–present)[8]
Withdrawn
- John Arthur Wilson, King County Assessor (remained on ballot)[9]
Declined
- Joe Nguyen, former state senator from the 34th district (2019–2025) and runner-up for County Executive in 2021 (appointed as director of the Washington State Department of Commerce)[10][11]
Endorsements
- U.S. Representatives
- Marilyn Strickland, U.S. Representative from Washington's 10th congressional district (2021–present)[12]
- Statewide officials
- Patty Kuderer, Insurance Commissioner of Washington (2025–present)[12]
- Pat McCarthy, Washington State Auditor (2017–present)[12]
- Democratic Party organizations
- King County Democrats (co-endorsement with Zahilay)[13]
- Washington's 30th legislative district Democrats (co-endorsement with Zahilay)[14]
- Washington's 32nd legislative district Democrats (co-endorsement with Zahilay)[15]
- Washington's 34th legislative district Democrats (co-endorsement with Zahilay)[16]
- Washington's 47th legislative district Democrats (co-endorsement with Balducci)[17]
- Washington's 48th legislative district Democrats[18]
- Organizations
- National Women's Political Caucus of Washington[19]
- Newspapers
- Statewide officials
- Nick Brown, Attorney General of Washington (2025–present)[21]
- Bob Ferguson, Governor of Washington (2025–present)[21]
- U.S. Representatives
- Pramila Jayapal, U.S. Representative from Washington's 7th congressional district (2017–present)[22]
- Adam Smith, U.S. Representative from Washington's 9th congressional district (1997–present)[22]
- Democratic Party organizations
- King County Democrats (co-endorsement with Balducci)[13]
- Washington's 30th legislative district Democrats (co-endorsement with Balducci)[14]
- Washington's 32nd legislative district Democrats (co-endorsement with Balducci)[15]
- Washington's 33rd legislative district Democrats[23]
- Washington's 34th legislative district Democrats (co-endorsement with Balducci)[16]
- Washington's 36th legislative district Democrats[24]
- Washington's 37th legislative district Democrats[25]
- Washington's 43rd legislative district Democrats[26]
- Washington's 46th legislative district Democrats[27]
- Washington's 47th legislative district Democrats (co-endorsement with Balducci)[17]
- Labor unions
- American Federation of Teachers Washington[28]
- Service Employees International Union 775[29]
- United Auto Workers Local 4121[30]
- Organizations
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund[31]
- Newspapers
Forums
| No. | Date | Host | Moderators | Link | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||||||
| Claudia Balducci | Amiya Ingram | Don Rivers | Rebecca Williamson | John Arthur Wilson | Girmay Zahilay | |||||
| 1[34] | May 14, 2025 | Issaquah Alps Trails Club | Sally Jewell | YouTube | P | N | N | N | P | P |
| 2[35] | May 23, 2025 | King County Young Democrats Northwest Progressive Institute |
Austin Kristofferson Rohana Joshi |
YouTube | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Primary
Although Constantine announced his intention not to seek re-election in 2024, it was not until 2025 when the public learned that he was a leading candidate in Sound Transit's CEO search. As King County Executive, Constantine was a member of the board and appointed board members over the course of many years, including two current ST board members who announced a run for King County Executive: Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay.
John Arthur Wilson, the King County Assessor since winning office in 2015, was one of the first to declare candidacy, doing so just days after Constantine's announcement.[36] Before becoming Assessor, he worked as a journalist and as chief of staff for former King County Executive Ron Sims. The Seattle Times reported in January 2025 that Wilson had a temporary protection order placed against him in May 2024 by his then partner, Lee Keller, who accused him of stalking. However, in the same article, Keller said that she had reconciled with Wilson, writing "We are happily engaged to be married, and we are planning a wedding."[37]
On May 29, 2025, PubliCola reported that Keller had filed for a new temporary restraining order against him, after he continued harassing and stalking her after she "permanently and clearly ended" the relationship on April 15, 2025.[38][39] Many local elected officials immediately called on Wilson to resign, including: Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell, interim King County Executive Shannon Braddock, King County Councilmembers Girmay Zahilay and Claudia Balducci, and state senator Manka Dhingra.[40] The King County Council unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in Wilson and called for him to resign.[41] Wilson refused to resign or drop out of the Executive race. In a motion to dismiss the restraining order, Wilson claimed that he was the victim of abuse by Keller, writing "Unfortunately, as much as I love Lee, her volatility and instability has become a real issue for me both personally and professionally."[42]
On July 2, 2025, Wilson was arrested for stalking and violating the court ordered protection order placed on him. He was released on bail the next day.[43][44]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Claudia Balducci |
Girmay Zahilay | John Wilson | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulcrum Strategic[45][A] | June 11–15, 2025 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 25% | 21% | 7% | 48% | |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Girmay Zahilay | 201,792 | 44.05% | |
| Nonpartisan | Claudia Balducci | 136,331 | 29.76% | |
| Nonpartisan | Derek Chartrand | 52,563 | 11.47% | |
| Nonpartisan | John Arthur Wilson (withdrawn) | 37,062 | 8.09% | |
| Nonpartisan | Rebecca Williamson | 9,440 | 2.06% | |
| Nonpartisan | Amiya Ingram | 8,335 | 1.82% | |
| Nonpartisan | Bill Hirt | 7,199 | 1.57% | |
| Nonpartisan | Don Rivers | 4,198 | 0.92% | |
| Write-in | 1,221 | 0.27% | ||
| Total votes | 458,141 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Claudia Balducci |
Girmay Zahilay | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulcrum Strategic[45][A] | June 11–15, 2025 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 22% | 20% | 57% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Claudia Balducci | |||
| Nonpartisan | Girmay Zahilay | |||
| Write-in | ||||
| Total votes | 100.00% | |||
Notes
- Partisan clients
References
- ^ Browning, Paige (November 10, 2022). "King County officials will get shorter terms next election cycle". KUOW. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
- ^ "2022 King County Charter Amendment No. 1". King County Elections. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
- ^ "November 08, 2022 Official Final Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Gutman, David (November 12, 2024). "Dow Constantine will not seek reelection as King County executive". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Gutman, David (April 1, 2025). "Shannon Braddock is King County's first new leader in 15 years. Who is she?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Gutman, David (November 13, 2024). "Claudia Balducci launches campaign for King County executive". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Buhain, Venice (May 13, 2025). "Wide-open King County Executive race draws eight candidates". Cascade PBS. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ Beekman, Daniel (December 2, 2024). "Girmay Zahilay launches campaign for King County executive". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Gutman, David (July 10, 2025). "John Wilson suspends campaign for King County executive". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ "POLITICS: Past candidate for King County Executive won't try again even though it's open". West Seattle Blog. November 14, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Schaefer, Scott (December 27, 2024). "Sen. Joe Nguyễn appointed as Washington State Commerce Director". B-Town Blog. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c Buhain, Venice (July 23, 2025). "What you need to know about the King County Executive primary race". KCTS-TV. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 Endorsements – King County Democrats". Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ a b "Resolutions". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "Our 2025 Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "The Seattle Times editorial board recommends: Claudia Balducci for King County executive". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Allen, Aaron (December 3, 2024). "Girmay Zahilay Announces Campaign For King County Executive, Pledging To Champion Equity And Opportunity". Seattle Medium. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ a b Leyden, Henry (July 1, 2025). "The contest to pick a new King County Executive is heating up with ballots due to drop soon in the August Top Two election". Northwest Progressive Institute. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ "News & Events". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Primary Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Scanlon, Mary (July 8, 2025). "June 9, 2025 Endorsement Meeting Minutes". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "2025 46th District Dems Endorsed Candidates & Campaigns". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Primary Election Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Washington Election Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Washington August Primaries". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "Washington Candidate Endorsements". Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Olson, Alex; Oliver, Mackenzie; Meyers, Abigail; Devanesan, Priya (August 1, 2025). "2025 Seattle and King County primary election endorsements". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "Vote for Girmay Zahilay for King County Executive". The Stranger. July 7, 2025. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ "King County Executive Candidate Forum". Issaquah Alps Trails Club. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Villeneuve, Andrew (May 23, 2025). "Watch a forum with the 2025 candidates for King County Executive, organized by KCYD with support from NPI". Northwest Progressive Institute. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ Gutman, David (November 18, 2024). "Why the King County assessor says he wants to be county executive". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Gutman, David (January 10, 2025). "King County assessor, running for executive, was accused of stalking, harassment". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Barnett, Erica C. (May 29, 2025). "New Stalking Allegations Against King County Assessor, County Executive Candidate Wilson". PubliCola. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Gutman, David (May 29, 2025). "King County assessor accused of stalking, hit with restraining order". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 29, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Gutman, David (June 3, 2025). "King County assessor says he won't resign, as pressure mounts from County Council". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Gutman, David (June 10, 2025). "King County Council votes no confidence in John Wilson, calls for resignation". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Barnett, Erica C. (June 12, 2025). "In Motion to Dismiss Restraining Order, County Assessor Calls His Ex-Partner Unstable and Vengeful". PubliCola. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Barnett, Erica C. (July 3, 2025). "County Assessor Wilson Jailed on Allegations of Stalking, Violating Protection Order". PubliCola. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ^ Gutman, David (July 3, 2025). "King County Assessor John Wilson arrested in stalking investigation". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ^ a b Trumm, Doug (June 26, 2025). "Balducci Claims County Executive Race Lead, John Wilson Mired in Scandal". The Urbanist. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ "Results" (PDF). Retrieved August 15, 2025.
External links
- Official campaign websites