District 5 state Senate, House positions up for grabs

The House races are non-competitive, with only the Senate having more than one candidate.

By Aaron Kunkler • May 19, 2020 10:00 am
A worker wears gloves while handling ballots from the Washington state primary election, Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at the King County Elections headquarters in Renton, Wash. File photo/The Herald
A worker wears gloves while handling ballots from the Washington state primary election, Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at the King County Elections headquarters in Renton, Wash. File photo/The Herald

Elections for seats in the Washington state Legislature are continuing amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, and May 15 marked the deadline for candidates to file.

In District 5, encompassing North Bend, Snoqualmie and much of East King County, three positions were up for grabs.

Bill Ramos (D) is running uncontested for the first House seat in District 5. He’s raised more than $48,000. Lisa Callan (D) is also running uncontested for the second House seat in the district, and has raised more than $36,000.

In the state Senate race, incumbent Mark Mullett is running against Ingrid Anderson. Both are Democrats. Mullett has raised more than $173,000 compared to Anderson’s $48,000.

There are no city council races in East King County for the 2020 election.

Several statewide positions will be on the ballot. Gov. Jay Inslee will be looking to hold his seat againt a Republican challenger. So far, former Bothell mayor Joshua Freed has raised the most money, bringing in more than $580,000. That includes a $500,000 loan Freed made to his campaign. Loren Culp, Tim Eyman and Phil Fortunato are also vying for the Republican nomination. Inslee’s campaign has raised more than $3.2 million.

The lieutenant governor position is also a competitive race after outgoing incumbent Cyrus Habib (D) announced he would not be seeking re-election. He is instead planning on becoming a Catholic priest.

So far, Congressional Rep. Dennis Heck, state Sen. Steve Hobbs and state Sen. Marko Liias are the top contenders for the position. All are Democrats who have raised more than $100,000, according to the state’s Pubic Disclosure Commission.

Voters will also be asked to pick an attorney general. Incumbent Bob Ferguson has raised more than $2.4 million, putting him well ahead of the nearest challenger Noah Purcell, also a Democrat. Purcell has raised about $263,000.

The state auditor, public lands commissioner, insurance commissioner, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction and treasurer positions will also all be on the ballot.