Early 2026 Election Results Show Lead for Federal Way Incumbents and Statewide Initiatives

Initial returns for the Nov. 3, 2026 general election show incumbent candidates holding decisive leads across local congressional and state legislative races, as Federal Way Mirror reported. Final election results across all contests will be officially certified on Nov. 24.

As of roughly 9:30 p.m. on election night, incumbent Democrat Adam Smith has built a strong lead in his campaign to retain his seat as U.S. Representative for the ninth congressional district. Smith has garnered 105,825 votes, representing 75.12% of the total counts processed so far. His Republican opponent, Doug Basler, trails with 34,118 votes, accounting for 24.22% of the tallies.

In the legislative contest for state Senate, incumbent Democrat Claire Wilson holds a significant margin over her opponent. Wilson has secured 64.22% of the vote with 16,106 ballots cast in her favor. Republican challenger Michael Rutland has received 8,949 votes, representing 35.68% of the total counted.

Incumbent Democrats maintain similar leads in the state House of Representatives races. For Position No. 1, incumbent Democrat Jamila Taylor is ahead in her defense of the seat with 65.55% of the vote, totalizing 16,402 ballots. Her Republican challenger, Tiffany Bowyer, has won 8,592 ballots to trail with 34.34% of the vote.

In the contest for Position No. 2, incumbent Democrat Kristine Reeves leads her race with 65.45% after receiving 16,123 votes. Republican challenger Paul McDaniel trails with 34.24% of the vote, having received 8,434 ballots so far.

In addition to candidate races, preliminary counts show clear direction on several statewide ballot measures. Initiative Measure No. IP26-645, which proposes to repeal a recently enacted tax on personal incomes exceeding $1,000,000, is currently failing. The measure has secured only 41.88% approval among voters in initial counting.

Initiative Measure No. IL26-001, an initiative addressing what information public school children are required to share with their parents and guardians, is also falling short of approval. Only 47.25% of voters have chosen to support the measure in early ballot processing.

Conversely, Initiative Measure No. IL26-638 is on track to pass based on early returns. The measure, which would prohibit transgender and gender-nonconforming students from participating in school athletics, currently holds 56.76% voter approval.

Early counts have also established initial standings in five separate judicial races for positions on the Washington State Supreme Court.

For Position No. 1 on the high court, candidate Colleen Melody leads the voting with 59.97% against candidate Scott Edwards. For Position No. 3, candidate Jaime Michelle Hawk holds the lead with 57.73% of the vote over candidate David Stevens.

In the Position No. 4 race, candidate Sean O’Donnell holds a narrow advantage, leading with 50.92% of the vote against candidate Ian Birk. For Position No. 5, candidate Theo Angelis is ahead with 55.42% of the counted votes over candidate Dave Larson. In the race for Position No. 7, candidate Debra Stephens commands a lead with 63.75% of the vote against candidate Todd Bloom.

Finally, early figures for countywide governance show a wide margin in the contest for King County Assessor. Candidate Rob Foxcurran is winning the seat with 72.34% of the vote, while candidate Dominique Scarimbolo trails with 27.15%.