Susan Hutchison concedes race for Executive

We've gotten word that Susan Hutchison has conceded the race for Executive to Dow Constantine. Obviously, not earth-shattering news, as Dow declared victory last night, and the trends looked great for him.

Hutchison has not updated her website, Twitter feed, or Facebook page with the news that she is throwing in the towel. Nor has her campaign released a statement.

Of course, she could have conceded publicly last night and had the opportunity to appear gracious on television, but she opted not to. Too bad, so sad.

Dow Constantine, meanwhile, is moving ahead and preparing for the transition as he leaves the King County Council. His departure will create an opening on the Council, and it also leaves the Council without a chairperson. The Council will otherwise be unchanged, with incumbent Councilmembers Julia Patterson, Bob Ferguson, Reagan Dunn, and Kathy Lambert all easily cruising to reelection.

Constantine will take over from interim Executive Kurt Triplett, Ron Sims' chief of staff, who has been filling in since Sims resigned to go to work for President Obama at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

UPDATE: Okay, we have her statement now.

Although we are encouraged to see tens of thousands of additional votes in our favor this afternoon, we are certain the final outcome in this race will remain the same. This afternoon I called my opponent, Dow Constantine, to congratulate him on his election to King County Executive. Because the new Executive has only a few weeks until taking office, I want him to be able to move forward quickly to accomplish an orderly transition.

I am grateful for the tremendous support from our King County citizens throughout this campaign. Hundreds of thousands of voters recognized the need for new leadership in King County and believed in our promise to bring that change. I encourage Dow Constantine to reach out to all our voters in the county, setting aside divisive politics to solve the complex problems before us.

Although the outcome is not what we hoped for, it does not diminish my love of this county and its people. For nearly 29 years, I have chosen to live in King County and raise my family here. I will continue to serve this community as I have done and look forward to a bright future.

Now that Hutchison has conceded, we can all move on. Congratulations, Dow!