Tuesday, Washington voters cast ballots in the first open state supreme court seat in a dozen years.
Preliminary results showed a tight race for that seat. Attorney Sal Mungia with 49.73 percent of the vote. Municipal judge Dave Larson had 49.78 percent.
Though Washington Supreme Court races are officially nonpartisan, Larson was backed by the state Republican Party. In response to a questionnaire from political website Ballotpedia, Larson said the current court is “too political” and blamed the court for increased crime from its drug-decriminalization ruling in the Blake case.
Mungia wanted to broaden access to the state’s criminal justice system, particularly for people who cannot afford their own representation. He was also concerned about bias within the criminal justice system, telling Ballotpedia that the work to ensure equal and fair treatment was ongoing. Mungia was endorsed by Gov. Jay Inslee, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and eight of the nine sitting Washington Supreme Court justices, among others.
Both candidates said empathy and fidelity to the law are key qualifications for a successful, effective jurist.
Two other justices, Steven Gonzalez and Sheryl Gordon McCloud, were also on the ballot, but they ran unopposed.
SPOKANE COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT
For Position 8, incumbent judge Marla Polin led
challenger Brandon Casey, 55 to 45 percent.
For Position 11, Andrew Van Winkle was leading incumbent judge Tim Fennessy, 52 percent to 48 percent.