Nickels 3rd in razor-thin race for Seattle mayor

By KOMO Staff & Associated Press Published: Aug 18, 2009 at 8:22 PM PDT Last Updated: Aug 19, 2009 at 8:26 AM PDT
Nickels 3rd in razor-thin race for Seattle mayor »Play Video
Mayor Greg Nickels speaks to supporters on Tuesday, August 18, 2009.
SEATTLE - Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels narrowly trailed two challengers Tuesday night in his bid for a third term.

With about half the votes counted, attorney and Sierra Club activist Mike McGinn had a slim lead with 27 percent of the vote. Cell phone executive Joe Mallahan had 26 percent, while Nickels had 25 percent. In fact, out of nearly 66,000 ballots counted, just 515 votes separated McGinn from Mallahan, and just 455 votes separated Mallahan from Nickels. The top two candidates advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

In the race for King County executive, former KIRO-TV anchor Susan Hutchison advanced to the November election with 37 percent of the vote. King County Councilman Dow Constantine had a comfortable lead over opponents with 22 percent. Their opponents include Councilman Larry Phillips, state Sen. Fred Jarrett and state Rep. Ross Hunter.

"We're in a wait-and-see mode at this point," Nickels spokesman Sandeep Kaushik said Tuesday night. "Obviously the race is far too close to call. We've got a lot of ballots yet to be counted."

He noted that only 400 votes separate Nickels from Mallahan. "It's a very very tight race, and it may be a few days yet before we know the outcome," Kaushik added.

But the Mallahan camp was celebrating Tuesday night.

"We're thrilled," Charla Neuman, a spokeswoman for Mallahan, said after the results were posted. "We're in a packed house of supporters who are ecstatic. ... It's going to keep looking better for us. I think people have given their opinion and made it clear that they're looking for a new kind of leadership."

Mike McGinn said he was happy and really gratified with the early results.

"We knew if we put together the type of grass roots campaign we were capable of doing, we had a shot to be here," he said.

Nickels has been dogged locally by criticism of the city's response to a December snowstorm that paralyzed Seattle for nearly two weeks. His opponents have challenged sometimes heavy-handed style as too gruff in a city that prizes collaboration and civility.

Nickels has raised $572,000, far more than his opponents, many of whom are political newcomers. And he's gotten key endorsements from labor and civic groups.

Other major opponents include city councilwoman Jan Drago and former Sonics basketball player James Donaldson.

Get real time election results at elections.komonews.com