King County Councilmembers Girmay Zahilay and Claudia Balducci are neck-and-neck in the race for King County Executive, according to poll data from the Northwest Progressive Institute (NPI), a nonprofit public opinion research firm.
Commissioned by NPI and conducted by Emerson College, the survey polled 600 likely voters between October 22 and 27: 37 percent said they’d vote for Balducci (District 5), 35 percent said their guy was Girmay (District 2), and 28 percent didn’t know who they would vote for (District Unknown). Because the survey’s margin of error was +/- 4 percent, the race is a statistical tie. But when undecided voters were shown a sample of each candidate’s voter guide statement, 44 percent picked Balducci, and 31 picked Zahilay. Twenty-six percent still couldn’t make up their minds.
In the August primary, Zahilay walked away with 44 percent of the vote and Balducci only claimed 29 percent, but that was in a crowded, eight-way race.
NPI’s Executive Director Andrew Villeneuve said the polling released this week is likely close because Balducci and Zahilay are so similar. (For the record, The Stranger endorsed Zahilay.)
“When you consider that each of them is a King County councilmember, and each of them is a progressive Democrat, and each of them has a lot of community support, that explains why they’re tied in the poll,” Villeneuve said. The poll, however, is “just a snapshot in time,” not a prediction of what will happen, Villeneuve emphasized.
In an email to The Stranger, Balducci campaign manager Rebecca Rego says voters are responding to Balducci’s record of “delivering affordable housing, expanding light rail, and demanding immediate actions that maximize tax dollars to protect low-income families.” She also said Balducci is the “only candidate” with a consistent record on public safety and plans to address retail theft and reduce gun violence.
Zahilay campaign manager Erik Houser said they’re encouraged by early ballot returns showing Zahilay’s lead. But the race was still competitive, he wrote in an email to The Stranger.
“We know that voters support Girmay after they learn about his record of leadership and how he has built the largest coalition in the history of county politics,” Houser wrote.
Well, when they read part of his voter guide statement, they went for Balducci, at least in this sample.
