Voters in Washington state rejected an initiative that would have eliminated an income tax on high earners, with the measure failing by a wide margin. The results also showed Democrats gaining multiple seats in the state House and securing a congressional district that had previously been reliably Republican.
Over 2 million ballots have been counted, with hundreds of thousands remaining to be tallied. The election results indicate a shift in political power, with Republicans facing potential losses of at least 13 seats in the state House, which could give Democrats a supermajority. This would allow them to pass bonds, override vetoes by the governor, and advance constitutional amendments without Republican support.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won her re-election race with 55% of the vote, defeating state Senate Republican Leader John Braun. Her victory was described as an unexpectedly easy win. Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner faced a close race in the 5th Congressional District, where he is only up by a percentage point over his Democratic challenger, Carmela Conroy.
The passage of the income tax initiative, which would have repealed the high-earners income tax, was seen as a win for Democrats. However, Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, has vowed to veto any legislation that would lower the tax threshold below $1 million. The state Supreme Court is expected to be called upon to decide the tax’s constitutionality, with a different court composition than currently in place.
