(The Center Square) – Incumbent Chris Reykdal has officially won a third term as Washington’s superintendent of public instruction.
With about 160,000 votes outstanding statewide on Wednesday, Reykdal leads his challenger, David Olson, by nearly 205,000 votes.
Olson performed better than almost all Republican challengers in statewide executive races, garnering more than 46% of the vote. Only Republican state lands commissioner candidate Jaime Herrera Beutler earned a larger share of statewide votes for a Republican, with 47% overall. King County Council Chair Dave Upthegrove won the race for lands commissioner.
Olson, a Peninsula School District board member, told The Center Square he was disappointed with the outcome.
“The geographic majority of the state voted for me, but this pocket in King County [33.6% for Olson] continues to control how everyone else in the state has to live their lives,” Olson said, noting he was encouraged by the support he did receive.
“A million-and-a-half people in our state saying they are unhappy with the guy running our show is an indictment in my opinion,” he said. “I think we’re going to continue to lose a significant number of students in the coming years, either to home school, private school or leaving the state.”