The delegates to the Martin Luther King County Democratic Party’s executive board representing the 17 legislative districts of King County and the King County Young Democrats have approved twenty-one initial endorsements for city and school board positions in eleven different jurisdictions. More than fifty percent of the candidates endorsed last night identify as female, and more than a third are people of color making their first or second bid for elected office. This year, due to bylaws change, the King County Democrats are only endorsing candidates that span races in 2 or more legislative districts or endorsing candidates who already have the support of their LD.
“The King County Democrats set a vision in 2019 to reach out to underrepresented communities and to build the party and the bench to be more representative of our diverse county. We are thrilled to support candidates that truly reflect and represent their communities,” said Shasti Conrad, chair of the King County Democrats. Shasti is the first woman of color to chair the county Democratic party for Washington’s most populous county.
“2019 is a big year for Democrats. There are important local races to decide and critical groundwork to lay for 2020, like registering and engaging new voters” said King County Democrats Communications Vice Chair Julia Reed. “Whether you’re voting for city council or cemetery district or U.S. Senate, every election matters, and we want people to vote for representatives that will advance our vision of a more just county.”
The initial list of endorsed candidates is as follows:
- City of Seattle Council, District 1: Lisa Herbold
- City of Bellevue Council, Position 3: Jeremy Barksdale
- City of Bellevue Council, Position 5: Janice Zahn
- City of Burien Council, Position 6: Sofia Aragon
- City of Kirkland Council, Position 2: Kelli Curtis
- City of Kirkland Council, Position 5: Neal Black
- City of Kirkland Council, Position 6: Amy Falcone
- City of Mercer Island Council, Position 3: Wendy Weiker
- City of Mercer Island Council, Position 4: Patrick Allcorn
- City of Mercer Island Council, Position 5: Craig W. Reynolds
- City of Redmond Council, Position 1: Varisha Khan
- City of Redmond Council, Position 5: Vanessa Kritzer
- City of Renton Mayor: Marcie Maxwell
- City of Renton Council, Position 7: Kim-Khanh Van
- City of Sammamish Council, Position 2: Karen McKnight
- City of Sammamish Council, Position 6: Rituja Indapure
- City of SeaTac Council, Position 1: Senayet Negusse
- City of SeaTac Council, Position 5: Takele Gobena
- City of Tukwila Council, Position 4: Cynthia Delostrinos Johnson
- City of Tukwila Council, Position 6: Kate Kruller
- Kent School District No. 415 Director, District 3: Leslie Kae Hamada
The King County Democrats also endorsed Maureen McKee, Averil Rothrock, Marshall Ferguson, Michael Ryan, and Aimee Sutton for King County Superior Court for terms ending in January 2021. All have been returned to the bench without opposition.
The King County Democrats will meet again on June 25 to consider additional endorsements for offices subject to election this year.
About the King County Democrats
The King County Democrats are the face and voice of the Democratic Party in King County, working to elect Democratic candidates to office at every level of government and advocating for public policies rooted in Democratic values.
On the Web: www.kcdems.org; On Instagram: @kingcountydems; On Facebook: www.facebook.com/
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