New results in mayor's race: Durkan still front-runner; Moon holds lead over Oliver

New results on Monday show former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan keeping her place as the front-runner in the Seattle mayoral primary election with 28 percent of votes.

Urban planner Cary Moon maintained her lead over attorney Nikkita Oliver, but they are now within 2,000 votes of each other.

Since results first dropped on Tuesday night, Moon and Oliver have been in a tight race for second.

Since Seattle voters turn in ballots by mail or drop-off boxes, it takes the election commission multiple round of result tallies before a final outcome. Results are posted every weekday until the August 15, when results will be certified.

>> Read full election results here.

Incumbent Seattle Mayor Ed  Murray announced in May that he would not seek re-election amid a lawsuit that claimed he sexually abused a homeless, drug-addicted teen in the 80s.

Since his announcement, the filings for mayoral candidate grew to 21, a daunting list that voters saw on their summer ballot.

>> Read about all candidates who ran in the primary here.

But only two candidates will go to the November election. If Wednesday results hold through the next multiple result drops, then Durkan and Moon will be the two names on the November ballot.

Moon said in a statement on Wednesday that she is not yet claiming victory out of respect to her fellow candidates. Here's background on the top three candidates.

Jenny Durkan

Durkan earned her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law and served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington under President Barack Obama from October 2009 through September 2014.

At her election night party, she listed some of the issues important to her campaign.

While Durkan and her supporters are excited about her finish, it’s better than many expected. How will she persuade the nearly 70 percent of voters who chose someone else?

“Just listen, listen as much as I talk, because this really is what the future of Seattle is -- what people want and how we get to that city that is as wonderful for the next generation as it was for me,” she said.

>> As the campaign trail continues into November, you can get alerts on big breaking news or developing stories on the mayor’s race by downloading our app here.

One of the keys to victory for Durkan is that she had the money for a barrage of direct mail ads aimed at likely voters. As expected, she dodged the question of which of the candidates battling for the No. 2 spot she prefers to face in the fall.

“I'm just thrilled that it looks like we're going to have a woman mayor after a hundred years,” she said.

KIRO 7 News talked to Durkan about her solutions to homelessness and traffic.

Cary Moon

Moon is an urban planner and engineer best known for her activism against the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel. She is a member of – but currently on a leave of absence from – the board of directors of the Progress Alliance and the One Center City Advisory Board.

"This is an unusually crowded primary, with Seattle voters and candidates flooding forums, town halls, blogs and living rooms with new ideas, visions and energy towards solving the challenges facing our city," Moon said in a statement after the first round of results.

"Seattle's voters won't let the future of our city be sunk by status quo thinking and politics as usual. There is too much at stake. We look forward to the next few days of returns from King County elections."

When we talked to Moon about her campaign, she cited traffic congestion, expensive rents, and surging homelessness as some of the city's biggest challenges. Read or watch the interview here.

Nikkita Oliver

Oliver, an attorney, announced her intentions to run in March. She is running under the Peoples Party of Seattle, which is a community-centered grassroots political party. Oliver works as a teaching artist and mentor in Seattle Public Schools and for the non-profit organization Creative Justice, which uses artwork with court-involved youth.

Oliver spoke to a packed watch party at Washington Hall after the results dropped.

"I know the vote matters, but what really matters is the movement," she said.

Over the summer, Oliver's campaign has picked up momentum in Seattle and nationwide partially through her hashtag #NikkitaBecause, where influential voices like writer Shaun King and singer Macklemore endorsed her.

"When we organize, we thrive It's not over. We've come this far and we'll continue to make change, push the issues & hold folks accountable," she shared on her Twitter account

Oliver talked to KIRO 7 about her priorities if she were to become mayor. Read the full interview here or watch it below.

RELATED SEATTLE MAYORAL RACE CONTENT:

• Who will be the next Seattle mayor? Meet the candidates
• VIDEO: Jenny Durkan interview
• VIDEO: Cary Moon interview
• VIDEO: Jessyn Farrell interview
• VIDEO: Interview with Bob Hasegawa

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