Former state lawmaker and Washington Commerce director Lisa Brown held a small lead in her bid to unseat incumbent Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward.
An initial tranche of results released shortly after 8:00 p.m. showed Brown with 52 percent of the vote and Woodward with 48 percent.
Saying that early results "look very good," Brown addressed enthusiastic supporters Tuesday night.
"Thank you to all the Spokane voters," Brown said. "You care about your city, you voted. We appreciate it. I'm especially grateful for those who supported our vision of a better way forward."
She thanked Woodward for her public service, and led supporters in applauding all the candidates in this year's municipal races.
Woodward called the race "extremely tight" and told attendees of an election night watch party that many more votes remain to be counted.
"[The re-election] campaign I've run has been the most challenging thing in my life," Woodward said. "But it's worth it. It's worth it for the city I love."
The mayor said she believed she could make up the current gap as ballots continue to be tabulated.
In the race for Spokane City Council president, District 2 councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson led Kim Plese, 53 percent to 47 percent.
Speaking to supporters Tuesday night, Wilkerson declared victory.
"Okay, the number crunchers said 'You're poised to win,' or 'You win,'" Wilkerson said. "We won!"
Plese's campaign had not released a statement as of 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. She spoke to supporters before results were released, looking forward to implementing a new vision if elected.
—-
Totals in both races are likely to adjust as more votes are counted in the coming days. As a general rule, Democratic voters tend to submit their ballots early, and Republican voters tend to submit theirs late in the cycle, according to Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton.
