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Election update: Dems’ gains in both State legislative chambers look more secure

Sara Gentzler   November 12, 2018  

There are still tight races in both State legislative chambers as of this morning: Monday, November 12. If current results were to hold, Senate Democrats would pick up two seats, increasing their majority to 27-22. In the House, results still point to Democrats picking up seven seats, which would increase their majority to 57-41.

Senate updates

In the Senate, numbers have shuffled a bit since early results.

One race has officially flipped in favor of a Democrat: In the 47th LD, incumbent Republican Joe Fain conceded (in a Facebook post) to Democrat Mona Das. He lost by a little over one percent. Last week, a Senate committee authorized the hiring of an independent investigator to look into a rape allegation made against Sen. Fain. The committee had said it would revisit its current plan should Fain not be re-elected.

The one Republican-held district that was leaning Democrat in early results, the 30th LD, is still leaning Democrat; Democratic challenger Claire Wilson’s lead on incumbent Mark Miloscia increased to almost 8 percent.

Two other tight Senate races have gotten even tighter, with one flipping in favor of the Republican candidate:

  • 26th LD: Democrat Emily Randall, who was once narrowly ahead of Pierce County Republican Party Chairman Marty McClendon, now trails him by less than a point. They’re competing to fill a seat left by retiring Republican Senator Jan Angel.
  • 42nd LD: Incumbent Republican Doug Ericksen is now ahead of Democrat Pinky Vargas by only 72 votes — 0.1 percent.

House updates

Overall numbers in the House haven’t changed since initial results; but some candidates have conceded, and many tight races have widened.

Two previously Republican-held seats in the 5th LD officially turned blue when Republican candidates Chad Magendanz and incumbent Rep. Paul Graves conceded.

In the 47th LD, Democrat Debra Entenman’s lead over incumbent Republican Mark Hargrove widened to 6.34 percent. Democrat Jared M. Mead’s lead in the 44th LD over incumbent Republican Mark Harmsworth widened to 4.2 percent. In the 28th LD, Dick Muri is now further behind Mari Leavitt. Her lead increased to 4.26 percent.

That makes five House seats that seem sure to flip from Republican to Democrat. There are six other races in which candidates are within two percentage points of one another:

  • 6th LD, Position 2: Democrat Dave Wilson is 1.08 points behind Republican Jenny Graham for a previously Republican-held seat.
  • 10th LD, Position 2: Democrat Dave Paul has a narrow lead over incumbent Republican Rep. Dave Hayes; the two are separated by only 0.3 percent.
  • 17th LD, Position 1: Incumbent Republican Vicki Kraft leads Tanisha Harris by 1.86 percent.
  • 19th LD, Position 1: Incumbent Republican Jim Walsh leads his Democratic opponent, Erin Frasier, by 0.96  percent.
  • 42nd LD, Position 1: Republican incumbent Luanne Van Werven’s lead over Democrat Justin Boneau has narrowed to 0.18 percent.
  • 42nd LD, Position 2: Democrat Sharon Shewmake’s lead over Republic incumbent Vincent Buys increased to 1.32 percent.

Keep updated on all State Legislature election results here.

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