Incumbent state Rep. Janice Zahn cruised through the Aug. 4 primary with nearly 72% of the initial vote, setting up a November matchup against Republican Elle Nguyen for the state House seat that covers much of Bellevue.

Zahn, a former Bellevue City Councilmember who now serves in Olympia, collected 71.62% in the three-way race for 41st Legislative District State Representative Position No. 1, according to initial results reported by the Bellevue Reporter from King County Elections data posted shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4. Nguyen of Mercer Island finished second with 27.26%, securing her spot in the Nov. 3 general election. Alex Tsimerman of Bellevue, running under the Standup-America Party, drew 0.96% and was eliminated.

Zahn dominated.

The 41st District covers all of Mercer Island and Newcastle, plus portions of Bellevue, Renton, Issaquah and Sammamish, according to a pre-election overview by the Mercer Island Reporter.

Who advances

Washington's top-two primary system sends the two highest vote-getters to the general election regardless of party. That means Zahn and Nguyen will square off Nov. 3.

Zahn, an engineer and first-generation immigrant, has served in the Legislature as vice chair of the Local Government Committee and a member of the Housing, Finance and Transportation Committee.

She previously sat on the Bellevue City Council from 2017 to 2025 and has focused on affordability, housing, education, childcare and transportation.

Nguyen is a community advocate with leadership ties to Connect Care Alliance who previously ran for the Mercer Island School District board and for LD-41 Position 2. In her candidate statement filed with King County Elections, she emphasized protecting children, strengthening families and promoting government transparency.

Position No. 2 also on track

The Position No. 2 seat did not require a primary. In initial returns, incumbent My-Linh Thai (D, Seattle) led Michael Rosen (Independent, Mercer Island) 66.39% to 33.19%. Both advance directly to the general election.

What happens next

These are preliminary numbers from the first ballot drop on election night. King County Elections will update results at 4 p.m. on weekdays until certification on Aug. 18. Voters can track updates at the King County Elections website.

King County Elections will certify the primary results on Tuesday, Aug. 18.