Inslee leads McKenna, several races too close to call

Democratic candidate for Governor Jay Inslee leads Republican candidate Rob McKenna in the most recent vote counts. Expect this race to go back and forth, as McKenna was leading when initial returns were posted. Inslee's lead is about 53,000 votes as of 9 p.m.

With most counties reporting results, including King County; it appears that Snohomish, Thurston and Yakima counties are still waiting to post.

In the "too close to call" races, Representative Kathy Haigh, D-35th, is narrowly leading Republican challenger Dan Griffey, Republican. Haigh is the current chair of the House Education Appropriations & Oversight Committee and a former school director.

Rep. Mark Hargrove, R-47th, trails his challenger by a slight margin, and incumbent Rep. Katrina Asay, R-30th, is down by about 2,000 votes.

Of the Senate hotly contested races, Rep. Barbara Bailey, Republican, leads incumbent Democrat Mary Margaret Haugen by about 1,300 votes. Haugen chairs the Senate Transportation committee and is a former school director. Rep. Tim Probst, Democrat, leads incumbent Don Benton, R-17th, by a narrow margin of about 100 votes.

Two of the highly watched races - the 1st and the 5th - show Democrats leading at this early time. Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, has a 57% vote to Republican Dawn McCravey. McAuliffe is a former Northshore school director, while McCravey serves on the Northshore board.

In the 5th, which has an open Senate seat, Democrat Mark Mullet leads Republican Brad Toft. In the 5th district open House seat, Issaquah school director Chad Magendanz is leading by a 54% margin.

It's a dead heat between Ridgefield school director Julie Olson, Republican, and teacher Monica Stonier, Democrat, for the seat that became open when Probst decided to challenge Benton.

Republican Rep. Bruce Dammeier is cruising to an easy win for the open Senate seat in the 25th legislative district. His is the first "flip" in seats from Democratic to Republican control. Dammeier is a former Puyallup school director.

Rep. Andy Billig, Democrat, is looking good to retain the 3rd legislative district vacated by Sen. Lisa Brown. His win would keep the seat in Democratic control. And in southwest Washington, Annette Cleveland looks poised to hold the Senate seat in the 49th for Democrats.

Former Rep. Dawn Morrell, Democrat, is leading her Republican challenger for Dammeier's former House seat.

In what might be an upset tonight, Republican challenger Brad Hawkins is leading incumbent House member Mike Armstrong. Armstrong is a former Wenatchee school director; Hawkins serves on the Eastmont school board. Hawkins leads by nearly 2,000 votes at this time.

Look for more results in another hour or so, with an emphasis on the open seat count.

Early Returns Posted Soon

Results are not posted yet, but are expected around 8:15 p.m. for early returns. "First Reading" will report results as they become available.

Keep in mind that in addition to the governor's race, half of the senate is up for re-election and all 98 of the House seats are on the ballot.

Going into the 2012 election, Senate Democrats hold a 27-22 majority and House Democrats have a 56-42 majority over Republicans.

In the Senate, seven seats are "open" - five of which were held previously by Democrats and two by Republicans.

In the House, depending on how you want to count them, a total of 18 seats are technically "open." This is partly because two seats fell victim to redistricting. Of those open seats, put 11 in the Democrat column and 7 in the Republican column to start tonight's races.

In between posts, check the Washington Secretary of State's web site for a quick glance at how the state, legislative and general election ballot issues are doing.