Pundits, analysts, and the candidates continue to see evidence of a rippling “Blue Wave” of Democratic support here and in states across the nation in response to the Trump administration. In Washington, the free postage didn’t hurt.

Big names vying to continue representing Seattle and Capitol Hill at the state and federal level made strong showings in Tuesday night’s first counts of August Primary voting — and smaller big D Democrat candidates across the state also gave many reason for hope.

“There’s 3 seats in Washington that are really competitive,” incumbent Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal told CHS during her election night party at Capitol Hill’s Optimism Brewing. “That’s the 8th, the 5th and the 3rd. We have great candidates. We’re all waiting to see what happens in the 8th, but I think everybody will rally around whoever wins that race. Then we’ll all take on Dino Rossi who has lost elections multiple times and deserves to lose again. I really hope that we have an increase in Democratic members of the Washington congressional delegation.”

In what amounts to a practice run before November’s general, Jayapal smothered her Republican opponent who appears to have focused his campaign on illegal immigration.

The results were also positive for incumbent Senator Maria Cantwell who, as expected, floated easily above a race featuring a ridiculously large field of opponents with some equally ridiculous platforms:

As for turnout, King County weighed in during Tuesday’s first count at 24.65% — a good start toward the predicted 40% turnout expected by county elections officials.

The only county proposition on the ballot — Prop 1 that would renew a tax to help local law enforcement pay for fingerprinting and identification technology — appears to be on its way to passing:

For Jayapal, the 2018 campaign recipe is a mix of Western Washington issues and a continued effort to fend off the entrenchment of the Trump administration’s efforts.

“I think what we have done is, we’ve spent a lot of focus on local issues in the district as well as these big, you know…championing big, Trump-related issues around immigration, around the Mueller investigation, around the Supreme Court nomination,” Jayapal said Tuesday night at the Broadway beer brewery.

“I feel great about my campaign and we’ve been out knocking on doors and talking to people and just making sure we know how people feel and its been really good to just see how much people appreciate the work I’ve been doing, and also make sure we’re answering their issues and concerns,” she said.

At the state level, the 43rd District representing neighborhoods including Capitol Hill showed easy victories being lined up in the “top two” races our of the Primary:

“Voters across Washington choose hope over fear! Democratic women candidates had a tremendous night, and the prospects for progressive change are great in the State House and in Congress,” Rep. Nicole Macri said in a message to supporters following Tuesday night’s first count. “These amazing candidates will only win with our help. I hope I can count on you to make calls, knock on doors, and raise the funds they will need to reach voters before they fill out their ballots in November.”

With reporting by Nick Turner, CHS Summer 2018 intern

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