So far, the incumbents are leading the way in the primary, which includes the 9th Congressional District and Legislative District 41.

King County Elections posted the first round of results on Aug. 2, and the Reporter is zoned in on the two districts that cover Mercer Island.

In the 9th, incumbent Adam Smith (D) is running for re-election for the U.S. Representative seat against Doug Basler (R), Sea M. Chan (R), David Michael Anderson (Independent), Seth D. Pedersen (R) and Stephanie Gallardo (D).

As of Aug. 5, the initial results read: Smith (55.50% — 75,900 votes), Basler (20.61% — 28,182), Gallardo (15.60% — 21,330), Chan (3.75% — 5,131), Pedersen (3.35% — 4,588) and Anderson (1.09% — 1,486). Write-in: 0.11% (145).

The top two candidates in the primary advance to the Nov. 8 general election.

“I am happy with our strong percentage in the initial results from the primary election. Our campaign will continue to work hard to earn re-election in November,” Smith said.

Basler said the primary was a success and thanked his donors, volunteers and supporters for their help along the way.

“We are ready to work hard until Nov. 8 and bring new ideas and leadership to Washington, DC. That will work to slow inflation, lower gas and energy prices, reduce crime, and keep Washington a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” he said.

In the 41st, Democrats Tana Senn and My-Linh T. Thai are seeking re-election for their seats.

Mike Nykreim, who prefers the Election Integrity Party, is challenging Senn for the State Representative Pos. 1 spot. Both candidates will run in the Nov. 8 election. The results, as of Aug. 5, stand at: Senn (78.65% — 27,085 votes) and Nykreim (20.57% — 7,084). Write-in: 0.78% (269).

“I’m thrilled with the strong primary night results in the 41st and across the state. Between now and November, I’m looking forward to further connecting with voters, particularly new district residents and first-time voters,” Senn said.

Nykreim told the Reporter: “There are a lot of issues with the integrity of our election’s system. It goes without notice that King County Elections Office does not want to answer a lot of questions. Which makes one wonder why they work so hard to hide from us if there is nothing to hide.”

Over in the State Representative Pos. 2 race, Thai is running against Al Rosenthal (R) and Elle Nguyen (R). The top two candidates will advance to the Nov. 8 election, and here are the early results as of Aug. 5: Thai (69.45% — 25,442 votes), Rosenthal (22.40% — 8,206) and Nguyen (8.00% — 2,932). Write-in: 0.15% (56).

Thai is grateful for the overwhelming support and contributions to her campaign that allow her to connect with new voters after redistricting.

“To me, these votes are the votes to protect Washingtonians’ constitutional rights, to ensure Washingtonians’ accessibility to healthcare, to ensure the works towards a more equitable and just public safety and judicial system, and to protect our planet,” she said. “As a champion for reproductive rights, the primary result also speaks volumes to our 41st LD standing strong to protect reproductive rights for all who need the service.”

Rosenthal said his plan from now until the general election is educating voters about what he termed the “destructive laws” that Thai — and others — have voted for.

He noted about part of one state law, HB1054: “(It) will not allow law enforcement to pursue for crimes like possession of a stolen vehicle, residential burglary, theft, and all other non-violent offenses. For violent offenses, the officer has to call in to get supervision approval before he can pursue a violent criminal {HB 1054 Section 7(d)(i)}, which could allow the criminal time to get away.”

The final results will be certified on Aug. 16.