Street concedes to Pedersen in 43rd District race

Jim Street on Monday conceded Seattle's 43rd District Democratic primary race to Jamie Pedersen.

Street, a former Seattle city councilman, conceded after new primary vote tallies showed Pedersen's lead widening to 252 votes in the House race.

"I wish him the very best," Street said Monday evening. "I think he has tremendous potential."

Fewer than 200 votes separated Pedersen and Street on Wednesday, the day after the primary.

Six Democrats ran in the primary to replace outgoing state Rep. Ed Murray. Murray left to run for the state Senate and was unopposed in his Democratic primary. He's virtually assured of winning in November.

The 43rd District covers the city's liberal core, including Capitol Hill, the University District, Fremont and Wallingford. In the strongly Democratic district, the elections are essentially settled in the primary.

University of Washington sophomore Hugh Foskett, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination, and Progressive Party member Linde Knighton also will be on the ballot in November. Foskett has raised no money. Knighton has raised about $1,800.

Trailing behind the two frontrunners in the Democratic primary were Bill Sherman, a deputy prosecutor; Lynne Dodson, a community-college professor and union official; Dick Kelley, former chairman of the 43rd District Democrats; and Stephanie Pure, an aide to Seattle City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck.

Pedersen's campaign got a boost with a late endorsement from Murray.

Pedersen, an attorney active in gay-rights causes, tapped his connections at his law firm, Preston Gates, as well as in national gay-rights organizations to help raise about $170,000 — more than any other candidate.

The money allowed him to pay a Maryland-based political firm to telephone several thousand voters in the closing weeks of the campaign.

The hotly contested primary provided a rare chance for local Democrats to run for an open seat in Seattle. The six candidates spent months crisscrossing the district, ringing doorbells and mailing out campaign material. Combined, the candidates raised more than $500,000.

Andrew Garber: 360-236-8268 or agarber@seattletimes.com Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner contributed to this story.