Tewolde Leads Santos in 37th District Primary; Street, Scott Post Commanding Results

Political newcomer Kelabe Tewolde finished ahead of longtime state Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos in the 37th Legislative District’s Position 1 primary, setting up a November rematch between the two Democrats, while Chipalo Street and Jaelynn Scott posted commanding results in the district’s other legislative races.

Tewolde received 18,454 votes, or 51.01%, compared with 17,434 votes, or 48.19%, for Santos, according to the primary election results provided. Write-in candidates received 288 votes, or 0.80%.

Under Washington’s top-two primary system, the two candidates receiving the most votes advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation. That means Tewolde’s 1,020-vote advantage does not decide the Position 1 seat but gives the first-time candidate momentum heading into a general election contest against one of the district’s longest-serving elected officials.

The primary showing represents a significant challenge to Santos, who serves as chair of the House Education Committee and is also a member of the Finance Committee and Consumer Protection and Business Committee.

Tewolde campaigned on what he described as a need for “generation change” in Olympia, emphasizing housing affordability, child care, medical debt and education.

Raised in Seattle by a single mother who came to the United States as a refugee, Tewolde said in his voters’ guide statement that his family experienced housing insecurity, medical debt and gun violence before achieving greater stability when his mother secured a union health care job and he joined Rainier Scholars.

Tewolde currently serves as associate director of leadership development at Rainier Scholars and has been a member of the Seattle Planning Commission since 2020. He previously completed casework and legislative internships with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and has participated in community organizing and mutual aid efforts.

Santos, a Franklin High School graduate with deep roots in the community, has emphasized her legislative experience and work on education, economic security and tax policy. Her community involvement has included Neighborhood House, the Washington Civil Rights Coalition and Hate Free Zone of Washington, now OneAmerica.

“In these tough times, Washington families face rising costs and complex challenges,” Santos said in her voters’ guide statement. “As your State Representative and the House Education Chair, I am focused on a future where economic security and quality education are accessible to everyone.”

While the Position 1 primary was closely divided, the district’s state Senate race produced a much wider margin.

State Rep. Chipalo Street received 26,434 votes, or 73.93%, compared with 8,970 votes, or 25.09%, for Tatiana Brown. Write-in candidates received 351 votes, or 0.98%.

Street and Brown, both Democrats, will advance to the November general election.

Street, who has served in the state House since 2023, campaigned on his legislative record on housing, taxes, education, health care and tenant protections. He also highlighted $131 million in investments he said he helped secure for the district, including funding for the Garfield Super Block, Skyway homeownership efforts, Tubman Health Center and Rainier Valley Food Bank.

Before entering elected office, Street worked in technology and taught computer science at Technology Access Foundation. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Brown University.

Brown, a first-time candidate and co-chair of the Washington Environmental Justice Council, centered her campaign on affordable housing, public education, transportation, health care and climate justice. She also emphasized bringing community voices more directly into state policymaking.

“I’m running for State Senate to bring community voices directly into Olympia and deliver on the priorities I hear every day: affordable housing, stronger public schools, safer neighborhoods, and reliable transit,” Brown said in her voters’ guide statement.

In the race for the district’s Position 2 House seat, Scott posted the largest margin of the three legislative contests, receiving 31,528 votes, or 88.26%.

Independent candidate Evon McCorkle received 3,842 votes, or 10.76%, while write-in candidates received 352 votes, or 0.99%. Scott and McCorkle will advance to the November general election.

Scott, executive director of the Lavender Rights Project, campaigned on housing, public safety, health care and tax reform. In her voters’ guide statement, Scott pointed to her work in community-based advocacy and efforts to redirect funding from incarceration toward supportive housing.

“Our district is one of the most vibrant and multicultural communities in Washington, and it deserves a representative who will stand up for everyone who calls it home,” Scott said.

McCorkle, a college student and first-time candidate running as an independent, has focused his campaign on education, affordable housing, community safety and increasing public trust in government.

“I’m running for State Representative because I believe District 37 deserves leadership that listens, understands struggle, and fights for real solutions,” McCorkle said in his voters’ guide statement.

The primary results set the field for three November contests that offer sharply different dynamics.

Street enters the Senate general election with a substantial primary advantage over Brown, while Scott heads into the Position 2 contest after receiving nearly nine out of every 10 primary votes cast for a named candidate. The Position 1 race, however, begins the general election as a much closer contest, with Tewolde and Santos separated by fewer than three percentage points.

For Tewolde, the primary demonstrated that a first-time candidate can compete with a longtime incumbent. For Santos, the November election provides another opportunity to make the case that her legislative experience and leadership remain valuable to the district.

With both candidates advancing, voters in the 37th Legislative District will ultimately decide that question in the November general election.