Marilyn Strickland is in the lead to retain her seat to represent Washington’s 10th Congressional District, according to preliminary election results.
Numbers on Tuesday night show Strickland, who is a Democrat, garnered 94,727 votes districtwide, or 56.91%, to Republican challenger Keith Swank’s 71,504 votes, or 42.96%.
There were 222 write-in votes districtwide after the initial tally.
In Thurston County, Strickland received 38,085 votes, or 62.4%, while Swank brought in 22,871 votes, or 37.48%. There were 73 write-in votes.
Strickland was sworn into her position in January of 2021. She was formerly the mayor of Tacoma from 2010 to 2017 and was on the Tacoma City Council from 2008 to 2009.
Swank, who is from Puyallup, is an Army veteran who wants to increase public safety and secure the borders to protect communities from opiates, stated the voters pamphlet.
Strickland released the following statement on Tuesday night:
“I am honored to be the South Sound’s voice in Congress and to continue serving our region. Thank you to the volunteers and voters, and to all of you who shared our vision for a nation that is more safe, more just, and more secure. We have important decisions to make in Congress that will require people coming together regardless of party for the betterment of our country. We need to work together to lower costs for families and small businesses, create good jobs, address public safety, and support our service members and veterans. Whether you voted for me or not, I want to hear from you. Please know that I will always fight for you and that my office is here to serve you.”
More ballots still need to be counted. In Thurston County alone there are an estimated 30,000 ballots left to count.
