Voters pick Jenny Zappone for district court seat; Andrew Biviano leads Deanna Crull

Spokane County voters selected Jenny Zappone to preside over misdemeanor criminal cases and other civil matters as a new judge on the Spokane County District Court.

Andrew Biviano leads Deanna Crull for a second seat, with Biviano capturing 51.4% of the vote counted Tuesday night.

Zappone, a Spokane County prosecuting attorney, faced Eric Dooyema, a court commissioner who’s served in several jurisdictions. Zappone won 67.5% of the vote counted Tuesday night.

Zappone, who will replace retiring District Court Judge Donna Wilson, had built a broad coalition of elected officials and local organizations to support her campaign, while Dooyema had the endorsement of all members of the district court bench.

Biviano and Crull are both local attorneys who transitioned to serving on the bench. Both had been serving as pro tem judges with the court prior to the election.

Biviano, a former chair of the Spokane County Democrats, had the backing of several local elected officials, including City Council President Breean Beggs. Crull had the support of Spokane District Court Judge Debra Hayes, who holds the judge position currently and is retiring.

District court judges are elected to four-year terms and their salaries are established by a citizens commission. The elected judges will be paid $193,447 this year.