Federal Way municipal judge ahead by a slim margin in race for state Supreme Court seat

Federal Way Municipal Court Judge Dave Larson is ahead by a slim margin to win Washington’s rare open Supreme Court seat in Tuesday’s election.

Larson faced off against longtime Seattle attorney Salvador Mungia to replace the seat of Justice Susan Owens, who is retiring because of her age.

In a tight race, Larson has gained 49.8% of Washington’s vote. Mungia trailed behind by a little more than 1,000 votes.

Larson has served as Federal Way’s municipal court judge since 2009 and was elected four times throughout the years. He ran unsuccessfully for Supreme Court in 2016 and 2020.

As a municipal judge, Larson normally handles contract disputes, traffic violations, occasional drug charges, minor theft and more. He ran for the Supreme Court position because he believes there’s a lack of leadership there, he’s previously said.

Both candidates also have differing approaches when it comes to Gov. Jay Inslee.

Mungia was endorsed by the governor, according to his website, but Larson has sparred with the governor over COVID-19 vaccine mandates. And Larson believes Mungia was picked by party elites, whereas he is “what the people need.”

“Justices aren’t putting their biases away,” Larson told The Spokesman-Review in a former interview.