Incumbent Chris Reykdal and challenger David Olson lead in primary for state superintendent of public instruction

Incumbent Chris Reykdal and conservative challenger David Olson took an early lead in the race to oversee public education in Washington.

Reykdal led election night with around 39.6% of the vote, followed by Republican-endorsed Olson, who sits on a West Side school board and earned 31% of the votes around the state.

Likely out of the running, nonprofit founder Reid Saaris trailed with 23.4%, and John Patterson Blair earned 5.6% of election votes in Washington.

In a phone call after perusing election results, Reykdal was encouraged to see improved votes in 31 Washington counties compared to his last primary run in 2020.

He said voters can see a clear binary between him and Olson, and he expects to earn some of Saaris’ votes in the general election in 90 days.

“We feel really good,” Reykdal said. “It looks like we’re going to face a MAGA-backed David Olson, so we think it’s a good match up.”

Olson, similarly, expects to gather Blair’s votes.

“I expect my tally to increase,” Olson said. “The folks that voted for John Blair should vote for me.”

Spokane County voters have a similar preference as other Washington counties, though leaning more conservative. Spokane voters sent 37% of their votes towards Reykdal and 36% to Olson. Saaris trails with 20% of Spokane County’s votes so far.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction position pays around $166,000 annually and the term lasts four years. It is a nonpartisan position Reykdal has held since 2017.