Nov. 7, 2025

Everything You Need to Know About This Week's Elections

Thank you for your continued support of WAMPAC, the WSMA's campaign arm!

Please find an update on the preliminary 2025 general election results for state legislative races below. As a reminder, our state utilizes a mail-in voting system, and many ballots have not yet been tabulated (or in some cases received), so races can shift substantially in the coming days. We'll provide another update when results solidify and in the meantime you can stay up to date on the most recent ballot returns on the secretary of state's elections results webpage.

Early returns find Democrats sweeping special election races - general election results so far

Off-election years often see fewer races of statewide consequence and lower voter turnout, however, this year there were nine special elections for state legislative seats on the ballot across six legislative districts. Going into this campaign season, Democrats held all nine seats up for grabs, but Republicans hoped to flip seats in several competitive districts by capitalizing on the tax-heavy session led by legislative democrats. Meanwhile, Democrats focused their efforts on the state-level impacts created by the passage of H.R. 1 and the challenging national climate led by President Donald Trump.

Against the backdrop of a federal government shutdown, ballots hit mailboxes. Based on early ballot returns, Democrats appear poised to retain all seats up for election, including those in districts considered reliably blue and competitive. At the time of this writing, there are still a significant number of ballots yet to be counted so it is possible, and in some cases likely, for gaps between candidates to narrow and races to shift substantially.

Nevertheless, Democrats will continue to hold strong majorities in both the House and Senate and if these results hold, we expect Democrats to cite this outcome as voter approval of recent policy decisions and therefore a mandate to continue carrying out their progressive agenda.

5th Legislative District

State Sen. Bill Ramos died unexpectedly on April 19, and Rep. Victoria Hunt was appointed to the Senate. Sen. Hunt is running to retain the seat, facing Republican candidate Chad Magendanz, a former state legislator. Despite the district being reliably Democratic in recent years, it has a history of divided representation and is considered potentially competitive. The 5th District includes Issaquah, Renton, and Snoqualmie, among other areas.

• Sen. Victoria Hunt (D): 55.58%
• Chad Magendaz (R): 44.33%

26th Legislative District

Former state Sen. Emily Randall was elected to Congress during the 2024 elections, creating an open Senate seat in the 26th District. Deb Krishnadasan was appointed to fill the vacancy, serving as the district's state senator during the 2025 legislative session. Rep. Michelle Caldier, the longstanding Republican representative in this district, is also running for the Senate seat. There are significant health policy implications in this race as Sen. Krishnadasan's spouse is a physician and Rep. Caldier is the assistant ranking minority member of the House Health Care Committee. The 26th District includes parts of Kitsap and Pierce counties and is one of the few remaining swing districts in the state, with voters sending Democrats and Republicans to Olympia every election.

• Sen. Deb Krishnadasan (D): 52.52%
• Rep. Michelle Caldier (R): 47.39%

33rd Legislative District

The most tenured member of the state Senate, Sen. Karen Keiser, announced her retirement last year after serving the 33rd Legislative District for 29 years. Her retirement came mid-term and Rep. Tina Orwall, a longtime member of the House representing the same district, was appointed to fill the Senate seat. Sen. Orwall is running to retain the Senate seat to finish out the legislative term and is unopposed.

This domino effect created an open House seat in the 33rd District and Rep. Edwin Obras, whose background is in human services, was appointed and is running to retain his seat. Fellow Democrat and Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling is also running for the House position, positioning himself as the more moderate of the two candidates. Both Sen. Orwall and Rep. Obras sit on their chamber's respective health care committees. The 33rdDistrict includes SeaTac, Normandy Park, and Des Moines and is overwhelmingly Democratic.

• Senate race
  • Sen. Tina Orwall (D): 96.62.96%
• House race
  • Rep. Edwin Obras (D): 48.45%
  • Kevin Schilling (D): 49.78%

34th Legislative District

Following Gov. Bob Ferguson's election, he selected then-state Sen. Joe Nguyen of the 34th Legislative District to serve as the director of the Washington State Department of Commerce. Then-Rep. Emily Alvarado was selected to the Senate seat and Brianna Thomas was appointed to the resulting vacated House seat. Both Sen. Alvarado and Rep. Thomas are running to retain their positions and are unopposed. The 34th District encompasses West Seattle, Vashon Island, and parts of Burien and White Center.

• Senate race
  • Sen. Emily Alvarado (D): 97.06%
• House race
  • Rep. Brianna Thomas (D): 97.14%

41st Legislative District

In another open seat created due to Gov. Ferguson's appointments, then-Rep. Tana Senn was selected to lead the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. The King County Council appointed Bellevue City Councilmember Janice Zahn, who is running to retain the seat. The 41st District includes Mercer Island and the surrounding cities and is reliably Democratic.

• Rep. Janice Zahn (D): 69.54%
• John Whitney (R): 30.35%

48th Legislative District

Patty Kuderer was elected to statewide office in 2024, becoming the state's insurance commissioner and leaving an open Senate seat. Then-Rep. Vandana Slatter was selected to fill the Senate position and Osman Salahuddin was appointed to the House seat. Sen. Slatter sits on the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee and Rep. Salahuddin worked as a researcher at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center and UW Medicine. Both legislators are running to retain their respective seats. Additionally, 48th District Rep. Amy Walen, who chairs the Consumer Protection & Business Committee and is considered a moderate Democrat, is running for the Senate seat against her former seatmate.

• Senate race
  • Sen. Vandana Slatter (D): 56.34%
  • Rep. Amy Walen (D): 42.37%
• House race
  • Rep. Osman Salahuddin (D): 68.38%
  • Dennis Ellis (R): 31.5%

WAMPAC worked on multiple fronts to ensure we were well-positioned to be effective and influential in the 2025 campaign cycle. The relationships we build on the campaign trail help translate to the kind of policy victories that make a difference for physicians and patients. With the 2026 legislative session on the horizon, WSMA's budget and policy priorities will include addressing impacts from H.R. 1, increasing Medicaid reimbursement and access to care, seeking opportunities for business and occupation tax mitigation, defeating inappropriate scope of practice proposals, and reforming the prior authorization process.

If you have any questions about WAMPAC's engagement on campaigns, please reach out anytime.