Mejia Leads MacEwen in Washington Senate Race

Early returns show Democrat Carolina Mejia ahead of Republican incumbent Drew C. MacEwen in Legislative District 35.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Legislative Policy

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a simplified Washington State outline in deep red on a cream field, with a faint evergreen ridge along its base. — Democrat Carolina Mejia led Republican incumbent Drew C. MacEwen in Washington's Legislative District 35 Senate race in early returns on election night. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Carolina Mejia held a lead over Republican incumbent Drew C. MacEwen in the Legislative District 35 Washington State Senate race on election night, based on the initial batch of counted ballots. Most incumbent Washington state legislators representing parts of Thurston County also secured early leads in their reelection bids.

Why it matters

The early returns offer an initial read on a competitive Senate contest in a district covering Mason County, part of Kitsap County and southeast Thurston County. Because only the initial batch of ballots had been counted, the margins may shift as remaining ballots are tallied.

Mejia's 51.54% share (22,379 votes) led MacEwen's 48.36% (20,996 votes) in the initial count, a margin of about 1,400 votes. Remaining ballots had not been counted at the time of the initial tally, so the result remains unofficial.

The players

Carolina Mejia

A Democrat from Olympia who serves on the Thurston County Board of Commissioners and led in the initial Senate count.

Drew C. MacEwen

The Republican incumbent from Shelton who first took office in the Washington State Senate in January 2023 and previously served in the Washington House of Representatives.

The details

Mejia, a Democrat from Olympia who serves on the Thurston County Board of Commissioners, faces MacEwen, a Republican from Shelton who first took office in the Washington State Senate in January 2023. MacEwen previously served in the Washington House of Representatives from 2013 to 2022. In the House races for the district, Republicans Dan Griffey and Travis Couture also held early leads.

January 2023: MacEwen first took office in the Washington State Senate.
2013 to 2022: MacEwen served in the Washington House of Representatives.
Nov. 4: Election night initial vote tallies were reported for legislative races.
2028: Mejia's current term on the Thurston County Board of Commissioners expires.

Political Context

Legislative District 35 spans all of Mason County, a small part of Kitsap County and portions of southeast Thurston County, so its contests turn on a mix of suburban and rural voters. The opposition's structural counter-arguments are not addressed in the extraction, so this context is limited to the district's composition and the early results.

The outcome determines which candidate represents Legislative District 35 in the Washington State Senate, shaping state laws that affect residents of Mason County, Kitsap County and southeast Thurston County. Because the count is preliminary, voters in the district should watch for updated tallies before the result is treated as final.

The takeaway

Early leads in a single batch of ballots can change as later ballots are counted, so the Legislative District 35 result should be read as provisional until the tally is complete. Readers can track the race as updated totals are reported.