Next year, King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles will retire after a long career in public service that included eight years on the Metropolitan King County Council representing District Four, which encompasses much of northwest Seattle. Three candidates stepped up to run for Kohl-Welles’ position, all strong progressive Democrats: Becka Johnson Poppe, Jorge L. Barón, and Sarah Reyneveld.
Johnson Poppe, a budget and policy manager for King County, was endorsed by The Urbanist, while Barón, a former executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, managed the rare and impressive feat of getting The Seattle Times and The Stranger to both back his candidacy.
Reyneveld, a managing assist attorney general, did not score those valuable media endorsements, but did get the support of the King County Democrats, the Transit Riders Union, MLK Labor, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and a majority of the incumbent county councilmembers.
All three participated in a candidate forum hosted by NPI last month.
Barón’s dual media endorsements appear to have given him a big advantage in the early vote. He has 47.81%, which is nearly a majority. Reyneveld is in second place, with 30.83%, and Johnson Poppe is in third place with 20.13%.
Election night results
 | Jorge L Barón Nonpartisan | 15,946 votes | 47.81% |
 | Sarah Reyneveld Nonpartisan | 10,283 votes | 30.83% |
 | Becka Johnson Poppe Nonpartisan | 6,714 votes | 20.13% |
Johnson Poppe’s vote deficit is 3,569, which will be extremely difficult to surmount in the late ballots. We’ll know more tomorrow, but it’s a good guess that the general election is going to be a runoff between Barón and Reyneveld.
Johnson Poppe was supported by King County Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Joe McDermott, as well as several state legislators from Seattle.
Her priorities were themed around what she called the “three E’s”: Environment, equity, and economy. “Our region has enjoyed prosperity, but that prosperity has also left many of our neighbors behind,” her campaign website says. “I’m running to champion more housing that’s affordable for more people, family-sustaining wages, accessible childcare, and workforce development that provides opportunity for communities historically excluded and disenfranchised in our economy.”
Barón, the frontrunner, supports similar policy directions:
“My vision for King County is grounded in the value that our success as a community depends on the well-being of every one of our neighbors. And my approach to policy-making is centered on the concept that those most directly impacted by public policies should be involved in the shaping of those policies.”
“There are two overarching issues that inform how I plan to approach all policy areas. First, racial justice. I recognize that so many of the challenges we face as a county – and as a society – are driven by the ongoing impact of systemic racism. I believe it is essential to use a racial justice lens when evaluating policies in all these issue areas. Second, I believe that we will not be able to make sufficient progress in any of these issue areas if we do not address the way that county services are funded. It is essential that we generate new urgency to the work with state legislators to develop progressive sources of revenue that will support the investments necessary to tackle the challenges in all of these areas.”
As does Reyneveld:
“Sarah is running to bring her experience to move King County forward and advance progressive solutions that will meet the scale of the challenges facing our community and region at this critical time,” her website says.
“She believes that the best public policy centers the community and racial equity, and ensures that people with lived experience who are closest to the issues drive the solutions. As a community advocate and admitted policy wonk, Sarah has worked with communities across King County and Washington State to expand access to accessible and reliable public transit, protect our environment, and invest in behavioral health, housing, quality child care, and public education.”
When these candidates joined us to record an episode of Candidate Soundings last month, they were highly complementary towards each other. If ever there was a model field of candidates, it would be this trio. They’re all highly qualified and very friendly. The voters were fortunate to have three outstanding choices. Alas, only one of them can become the 4th District’s next councilmember.
