It is a dark time for rebellious liberals. Although they won the mayor's office and school board in elections past, wealthy forces seek to drive the interlopers from City Hall. Mayor Mike McGinn, Council Member O'Brien, and brave school board hopeful Sue Peters are running formidable campaigns to maintain their progressive foothold. But state senator Ed Murray, the rabidly conservative police guild, and grazzilionaire Nick Hanauer—obsessed with the politics of division and a scourge of crime—have deployed wealthy PACs to stop the insurgency and reclaim the government.

Read updates below. The most recent entries are at the top.

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MEET THE NEW BOSS

9:24PM

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  • Kelly O

It was kind of a shock to see former governor Christine Gregoire standing onstage at Ed Murray's party. Don't ask us why that is; it makes perfect sense—she and Murray are old Olympia pals and Gregoire's daughter's victory party was right across the street from Neumos at Sole Repair, but it was still a little jarring. Maybe it's because Gregoire was the first of what will undoubtedly be a parade of old familiar faces we'll be seeing in the coming weeks. (An aside: Someone who looks like your grandfather almost broke SECB's laptop while swinging at an errant balloon bouncing around the crowd just now. Another grey-haired man just accidentally hit a young man in the back of the head while swiping at a balloon, too. Old people are on the rampage at Neumos tonight.)

It was hard to see through all the iPad picture-taking, but Ed Murray looked relieved as Gregoire gave a little pep-rally speech to introduce him ("Are you ready for a great mayor?...we have the greatest mayor in the United States [in Ed Murray]."). He looked more relaxed than we've seen him in months, honestly, grinning as the crowd chanted his name. "Thank you Seattle," he opened his speech, immediately promising a Seattle that would be "progressive" and "pragmatic."

This was not Murray's awkward, stilted primary-night campaign speech. He was careful not to claim victory, but it was still a victory speech, fluffy and full of platitudes about the American Dream. He thanked Mayor McGinn "for his public service," and the crowd applauded politely. "I will always remember Mike McGinn with affection," Murray said—here's where the SECB looks at the camera with bug eyes and shrugs in disbelief—and then he promised to be "mayor of all of this city." Murray spoke of an "energized" Seattle and "turn[ing] the page" in history. Murray thanked most of the city council and Pete Holmes in his speech, calling them all politicians who "take risks," saying that they defy the Seattle stereotype of fearful politicians who don't make bold moves. During the usual laundry list of supporters, including a number of unions and the Seattle Times, the biggest round of applause was reserved for Planned Parenthood. Murray played with the crowd, asking if there's anyone he forgot to thank in his speech. "Michael!" shouted a bunch of people in the crowd. The room picked up the shouts, turning Murray's husband's name into a chant. "I was going to get there," Murray said, "But you beat me to it." He said a few years ago, he couldn't imagine he'd be the newly elected mayor of Seattle, standing next to his husband, and then he hugged Michael. It was a nice, genuinely touching moment.

Murray didn't lay out anything specific, but he talked about stopping crime, improving neighborhoods, helping immigrants, making a better environment for businesses and job creators, and using transit to make an impact on global warming. He also said that Seattle wants to reach out across the mountains "to make a new relationship with the state" to "create one Washington," which frankly creeps the SECB out a little bit. Then he said he was going to go plan a honeymoon, and the obligatory Macklemore song blasted over the speakers.

The drunken old men who were flailing their arms about quickly fled out the back of Neumo's into the cool night air as the younger people forced their way to the front of the room, hoping to get a second of eye contact with the new mayor. Everyone was jostling for position. Suddenly, the places where we'd all been standing were no longer comfortable, and we all had to find our feet again.

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DUH.

9:16PM

"Obviously, we (Yes on I-517 ) are disappointed," states Tim Eyman lackey Mark Baerwaldt in an email. Because they lost. Hard.

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MONSANTO DECLARES VICTORY

9:15PM

The empire has declared victory. Democracy has worked. The voters have seen that the truth and "sent a very clear message," says anti-GMO labeling spokesperson Dana Bieber, who is sharp, direct, and filled with moral passion: “We came here to present the facts. And voters saw the facts and made the right decision.”

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SUE PETERS BEATING SUZANNE DALE ESTEY BY A HAIR IN SCHOOL BOARD RACE

9:10PM

It's the most exciting time of the night: Time to discuss school board races! First up, Sue Peters is beating Suzanne Dale Estey (otherwise known as the woman who has deep corporate backers with a mean streak) 52 to 48 percent. Stephen Blanford is handily beating LaCrese Green 88 to 12 percent, and Betty Patu is fucking rad and is winning with 98 percent of the vote. And no challengers. Because she is fucking rad.

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MORE RESULTS AND PARTY REPORTS >>

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"PEOPLE LIKE US AREN'T SUPPOSED TO WIN," SAYS DISTRICTS CAMPAIGN MANAGER

9:06 PM

As the SECB was leaving Mike O'Brien's party, we passed a group of particularly cheerful and attractive young people who had begun to chug their beers. We tried not to cry, as we were heading up to some Aurora Avenue bar and grill to "party" with the people behind Charter Amendment 19, which would enact a 7-2 hybrid districting system for the city council.

And it looks like it will be enacted, as it's leading a stunning 64 to 46 percent. Holy shit. Looks like city council elections are about to change a whole lot starting in 2015.

"We thought we were gonna win," says campaign spokesperson Eugene Wasserman, "but not like this." Everyone in the room is bowled over by their own success. "People like us aren't supposed to win," marvels Wasserman of his ragtag crew of neighborhood activists who, he jokes, "will probably be fighting with each other tomorrow."

Faye Garneau, who almost single-handedly funded the campaign, is sipping a celebratory martini and teasing the SECB for just drinking water. The talk is partly just shock and partly wha's gonna happen now—what will upcoming district campaigns look like? "2015 is going to be interesting," says Wasserman. Understatement of the night.

The party breaks up at 9 p.m.

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RICHARD CONLIN DECLARES VICTORY

9:03PM

Richard Conlin is tentatively declaring victory—even though his challenger, Kshama Sawant refuses to concede. As we've noted, he's up 53 percent to Sawant's 46 percent.

"Thank you to the voters for re-election. It's always tough, when you go to the voters and you have to tell them why you should be on the council. But we succeeded," he told a thinning crowd that was everything but festive. But with the Seattle City Council switching to districts—that initiative won by a landslide—the Sawant campaign is already making noise about challenging him again (though she hasn't conceded), on turf that will work more to their favor. A Conlin voter from Ballard says Conlin "should be nervous."

We asked Conlin if he was sweating. "Man, I don't even want to think about next time. I'm happy. I don't feel scared," he said.

Council member Nick Licata, who won some 90 percent of the votes counted against forgotten socialist Edwin B. Fruit, trudged out the doors a few minutes ago. One woman keeps trying to announce results from her laptop, as if expecting an excited crowd to appear around her, but there's none. Someone yelled "Speech!" at council member Sally Bagshaw, who crushed challenger Sam Bellomio, but she walked to the other side of the room. Some people are standing around in clumps, drinking. There is no applause.

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HONESTLY, THE ONLY RACE THE SECB REALLY CARED ABOUT TONIGHT WAS THE SEATAC $15 AN HOUR MINIMUM WAGE INITIATIVE

9:06 PM

If the SECB has one consolation tonight (okay, there's always alcohol, so two consolations) it's that SeaTac Proposition 1, the $15 an hour minimum wage initiative, appears to be passing by a comfortable 54 percent to 46 percent margin. It is a huge victory for low-wage airport workers, and one that will have an equally huge impact both regionally and nationally.

There was already a strong consensus at Seattle's city hall in favor of a higher-than-state minimum wage, and the stamp of approval from SeaTac voters (plus Kshama Sawant's strong showing—expect her to pull around 49 percent after late ballots are counted) only adds to the momentum. The SECB might shy away from being hyperbolic if we weren't so liquidly consoled, but we'd dare say that Prop 1's victory is downright historic.

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DAVID BRONNER, OF BRONNER'S SOAPS, GIVES PEP TALK TO LOSERS

9:01PM

David Bronner, the hippie-soap scion, is giving a pep talk to the losers here at the Yes on 522, please-let's-label-genetically-modified-foods party/wake. He's actually talking about the real issues, which the campaign failed to do—how the giant agriculture conglomerates control THE VERY SEEDS that get planted in the ground, and how they've genetically engineered those seeds to be SUPER FUCKED-UP (google it, srsly!).

Bronner says, "It's okay, because guess what: We're gonna win eventually... Thank you everybody, for just rocking it out so hard." Super-enthused clapping ensues.

Next speaker (sorry, the SECB has had several glasses of organic wine): "We were outspent three to one... I feel good, so should everyone else... This is just the beginning."

And several people have mentioned to the SECB that a similar initiative is being undertaken in Oregon. Dear nonspecific, nondenominational deity, let the good people of Portlandia gently, humanely process this shit to a better outcome than we just had here.

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THE MONSANTO MORGUE

8:58 PM

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This is what it must feel like to be in a conference room in the Death Star. No one has anything to do. No one is around. But those checking names at the door have to wait and wait like something might happen. Power functions with no one. Power does not need people. People are democracy.

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SAWANT WILL NOT CONCEDE TONIGHT

8:51 PM

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This just in from Sawant's communications director:

Sawant declined to concede Tuesday night, noting that in the 2013 primary, she gained over two percent in subsequent ballot drops, and, in her 2012 state legislative campaign, she gained three percent. Given her campaign's tremendous momentum in closing weeks and her history of strong support in later ballots, the campaign will wait for subsequent ballot releases.

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IN LIGHTER NEWS, TIM EYMAN LOST

8:52PM

With most counties reporting numbers, Tim Eyman's initiative to make it easier for Tim Eyman to run more initiatives is failing statewide, 60 percent to 40 percent. So that's something.

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"RICHARD CONLIN IS FINISHED. HE MAY COLLECT HIS SALARY FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS, BUT HE HAS NO POLITICAL FUTURE."

8:51 PM

Just a few minutes before the drop (which we would soon learn to be Conlin 53.56%, Sawant 46.13%, not an ideal result, but one people seemed relatively pleased about), Kshama Sawant took the stage, asked everyone to pay attention, and gathered them around the stage. This moment, she said, was more important than how the election turned out.

The room went totally quiet (surprisingly quiet for a typical election-night party—these people actually seemed to give a shit) and she enumerated a list of gratitude: for people who donated, who volunteered, who loaned their cars, Tweeted, and so on. Regardless of the outcome," she said, "this has been such a tremendously inspiring campaign."

It was an earnest moment in an entirely earnest evening.

As the first results come in (again, Conlin 53.56%, Sawant 46.13%), the crowd gave a cheer—a mute-ish cheer, but still a cheer.

Sawant emerged from behind a curtain partitioning off one section of Melrose Market Studios from the rest of the room. "It appears Richard Conlin has the lead," Sawant said, adding that two-thirds of the ballots remained to be counted. "I'm sorry we don't have a dramatic moment right now," she said, "but the entire campaign has been historic and dramatic."

She paused.

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"And I'm pleased beyond measure to report that the SeaTac initiative on $15 an hour has passed!"

The crowd screamed with joy.

She mentioned the results of a few other races before declaring: "If Richard Conlin's lead holds up, we are going after him in 2015. So what does all this tell you, brothers and sisters? ... you've spent years in despair, wondering when the left is going to rise up in the US—it's happening now."

She then announced a ballot measure in Seattle that would, like SeaTac's, stump for a $15/hour minimum wage and the fact that "our election result is the highest for any openly socialist campaign" in the US for decades.

"Even if Conlin keeps a seat on the council, the victory is ours," she said. "Richard Conlin is finished. He may collect his salary for another two years, but he has no political future... the future of the 99 percent is bright, if we so choose."

She said that the campaign shook the foundations of two major assumptions. First, that the two-party system is inevitable. Second. that capitalism is inevitable.s

"This campaign," she said, "is not an isolated event." It is, she said, a bellwether of greater things to come."

Then the DJ cued up "Eye of the Tiger," which faded into "Don't You (Forget About Me)"—which, for Occupy-affiliated American socialists, should be a song they keep close to their hearts.

And the socialist hopeful went back to their wine, cookies, and kale.

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O'BRIEN WINS, PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCE MEASURE FAILS HARD

8:44PM

It's a good thing proponents of public campaign financing—the local measure that would've diluted the influence of big donors in local elections—are partying with city council member Mike O'Brien tonight in Fremont. O'Brien, whose a Disney-prince dreamboat, is creaming his challenger, business favorite Albert Shen 64 to 35 percent. Meanwhile, the public campaign finance measure Prop 1 has been defeated 46 to 54 percent. Womp womp.

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BRIGHT LIGHTS, STILL NO NEWS AT 522

8:33PM

The SECB is lurking in the back, granted, but they've just turned on some party-ending bright lights back here. Meanwhile, the campaign people remain sequestered in a room marked "BOARD ROOM" in a font that looks pretty much exactly like Comic Sans. Sorry, everybody who wanted their GMO food labeled. Maybe next time.

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TWO MORE YEARS! TWO MORE YEARS!

8:40PM

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Four-term incumbent city council member Richard Conlin may have narrowly avoided being defeated by upstart Socialist Kshama Sawant (and it will be fairly narrow once all the late ballots are counted), but that only gives Conlin a two-year reprieve. With Seattle Charter Amendment 19 (District Elections) passing by a wide margin—64 to 36 percent—Conlin should expect a rematch with Sawant in a district that the final results will likely show Sawant winning. The SECB's advice to Conlin: Quit while you're ahead.

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CONSTANTINE THANKS WORLD, CONGRATULATES HIMSELF ON HIS INEVITABLE VICTORY

8:40PM

Every single person on the Dow Constantine side of Lost Lake (the left side, lol?) is gazing at their cellphone screen while still somehow talking loudly.

People are WOOOO clapping at the image of Ed Murray in the lead of the mayoral election on the flatscreen. Capitol Hill’s rose-selling man looks out of place, but interested in this politician’s speech.

Constantine is standing up on a booth, telling us what’s up. “I KNOW EVERYONE HAS A LOT OF PARTIES TO GO TO, I AM SO GLAD THIS ISN’T FOUR YEAS AGO.” The lights are on. Constantine thanks his parents. Don and Louis, his brother Blair (who is getting ready to run out ha ha), and the most important person, Shirley (a lover? a wife? a barista?).

He’s thanking everyone. Something education, something transportation, he’s using the “right-hand-only gesture method” that fellow laid-back Jedi Bill Clinton loved so much. He’s also fond of a “jazz-hand air-hug” gesture which is really getting the crowd excited.

Someone just interrupted to say “MCGINN IS CONCEDING!!!” and the speech is over. Someone is clapping sooo hard in that asshole I CAN CLAP THE LOUDEST LIKE A GUNSHOT way. Constantine came over and ate a french-fry, casually asking the SECB, “Did they just say McGuinn conceded?” The SECB offered him a pickle dipped in ketchup, but he shook his head no thanks.

The SECB is accidentally drunk and considering jumping in front of what looks like a news camera.

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CRICKETS AT YES ON 522

8:38PM

Earlier, it was all "Even if we lose, we win!"—the winning being educating people about how there might be fish-toe-genes in their cornflakes, and how if we label genetically modified foods, we could know about that and make an informed choice. The returns don't look good, but no one here has made any kind of announcement yet.

However, with most of the counties showing results, I-522 is losing 61 to 39 percent statewide.

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DAD BLOGS GREGOIRE'S TRIUMPH

8:36PM

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A vivacious Courtney Gregoire triumphed over John Naubert with 82 percent of the vote. "The port of Seattle is an economic engine that supports 200 well-paying jobs," Gregoire said in her victory speech at Sole Repair. She stressed that a clean environment would be a top priority, as would getting youths interested in this important issue. "Dad, are you blogging this?" Gregoire joked as her father took a photo during her speech.

"Don't forget this energy as we go forward the next two years!" Gregoire concluded. The crowd chanted, "Courtney! Courtney!" And then some mediocre anthemic rock boomed over the PA.

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MCGINN KINDA SORTA CONCEDES

8:35PM

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The doomed Mayor McGinn, about to be encased in carbonite, arrived to polite applause, and bizarrely, chants of "Four more years!" (Though to be fair, the crowd didn't actually specify four more years of what.) And McGinn thanked them by immediately all but conceding: "We know we're going to have to call Ed Murray and congratulate him," McGinn admitted, before saying he'd wait until some more votes were counted.

Jesus. The least he could've done was attempt to sustain the suspense.

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ONE DIRECTION TO VICTORY

8:33PM

Just before the results dropped at Neumo's, the DJ implored the crowd to make some noise. "Let's have some fun tonight, shall we?" It's always an awkward thing to see a man who looks just like your father out in public, his nose bright red, hooting like a frat boy, but the SECB persevered. The SECB must always persevere. Everyone was snuggled around their mobile devices, hitting refresh as fast as their pink little thumbs would let them. Jamie Pederson's phone was a popular focal point. When the numbers finally appeared on a large screen—Murray 56.08 to McGinn's 43.08—we were expecting to hear more noise from the crowd, but there were only scattered whoops and hollers. A man danced around with a white iPad with the election results flashing on his screen.

Next to the SECB, a few Murray supporters were wondering why the race was so close; they were expecting a blowout. A large man who spat with every syllable he uttered scolded them for being so negative. "The important thing is that we won," he scolded them. (To get a sense of what it's like to talk to the man, read that quote again and spray yourself in the face with shitty beer every time you read a letter "t.") There is one man in the back of the club who's clapping furiously. The DJ is playing "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction at ear-punishing noises to make up for the lack of joyous noises. Don't get us wrong—the room is noisy and raucous, but it's an unfocused noise, not a chorus of cheers. We expect that will change when Murray, victorious, takes the stage. Will he keep us waiting for his speech as long as his people kept us waiting outside the club earlier tonight? Jesus, we hope not.

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WELL, FUCK

8:20PM

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King County Results are in. McGinn and Sawant are toast:
McGinn scored 43 percent of the vote to Murray's 56 percent. Sawant scored 46 percent to Conlin's 53 percent.

In other King County news:

Incumbent King County council member Reagan Dunn creamed Democrat challenger Shari Song roughly 58 to 42 percent, Seattle port commisioner John Creighton beat challenger Peter Lewis 68 to 31 percent, port commissioner incumbent Courtney Gregoire is handily winning over John Naubert 82 to 16 percent, port commissioner Stephanie Bowman is defeating Michael Wolfe 70 to 29 percent, and port commissioner Tom Albro is beating Richard Pope 57 to 41 percent. And change, in all of these races.

Looks like it's a great night to be an incumbent, unless you're the Seattle mayor.

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COME TO THINK OF IT, THE SECB WAS ALWAYS RATHER FOND OF ED

8:25 PM

The room suddenly got very quiet at the McGinn election night "party," which can mean only one thing: The results are in! (And they suck (for the mayor).) Ed Murray is leading 56 percent to 43 percent, and that's not a margin one entirely closes with the late ballots. The SECB knows a lot of people who will be updating their resumes tomorrow.

Ah well, we guess that's what the mayor gets for being caught on video smoking crack while in a drunken stupor, or something.

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EARLY RESULTS SHOW TIM EYMAN, GMO LABELING FAILING

8:20PM

County results are slowly trickling in for several statewide initiatives. With 13 counties reporting (not including King County), Tim Eyman's Initiative 517 is failing 57 percent to 42 percent, and Initiative 522, concerning GMO labeling on foods, is failing 59 to 41 percent.

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ANY MINUTE NOW AT LOST LAKE

8:19 PM

The SECB brought threir laptop to Lost Lake and have somehow become in charge of election results in other states, which is fine, because the grilled cheese they ordered 20 minutes ago hasn't come yet.

Dow Constantine sat down with us like an impeccably-coifed Jedi master and was the friendliest person we've ever met with a UW phone case. He asked us about the Death show and the Earl Sweatshirt show last week, which, we have to say, impressed us. He mentioned that his parents are here, and while we're not sure who they are, there's a woman with a grey bob that's been hitting the onion rings pretty hard…

People keep asking the SECB about GMOs, even though they keep repeating that they're just trying to untag themselves from unflattering Facebook photos.

The Lost Lake flatscreen has been turned up extremely loud, letting us know that the results of this thing might be in.. and… there are "WOOs" but no one is sure if they should be sure… People are saying "WOW" and "REFRESH YOUR SCREEN..."

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MONSANTO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO THROW A PARTY

8:16 PM

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The No on GMO labeling campaign is supposedly hosting a party at the Westin Hotel. They have burned some serious bucks opposing Initiative 522, almost all of it coming from out of state. As for the party? No one is here. There is bottled water, Coca Cola, and cookies on a table. No real food. Seriously, three people in the room—one from Seattle Times. It's all very strange.

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CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM, OR BULLSHIT?

8:15 PM

McGinn campaign insiders continue to tell the SECB that they've seen a big swing for the candidate over the past couple weeks, and strongly suspect that Ed Murray's recent fit of paranoid press conferences is evidence that they conducted an unfavorable poll? Delusion? Bullshit? Election night drama? One insider says that if McGinn is within five points of Murray with tonight's drop, that's close enough to win with the late ballots. A two to three point margin might be more realistic.

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A HOMEMADE COOLER KEG AND MIKE O'BRIEN'S EYE TWINKLE

8:04PM

The Frost Giants jam in a Fremont basement.
  • The Stranger
  • The Frost Giants jam in a Fremont basement.

City council member Mike O'Brien knows how to throw a party—a party so good he let the poor-in-dollars-but-rich-in-spirit Proposition 1 campaign tag along, in the basement of the Fremont Abbey. There's live music from the Frost Giants, a sweet buffet of colorful and delicious food (including trays of homemade samosas), and a makeshift keg made out of a cooler that a staffer calls "the beer machine." (Manny's is on tap, a solid, local, crowd-pleasing choice.) O'Brien, beaming, brags on his aunt's deviled eggs, congratulates the SECB for coming to such a killer party, and promises to introduce us to the band, members of which are urban farmers when they're not jamming in a Fremont basement. The crowd is ridiculously youthful, diverse, and attractive.

We have to leave soon, though, so the SECB inquires if the party will still be going at 10 p.m. "Oh, it'll be going at 10," says O'Brien with a twinkle in his eye. (That sounds cheesy, but you've never seen a twinkle like this. Practically a Disney-animated sparkle. Cheerful dude, O'Brien.) The SECB is sorry to have to leave at all.

We close with words shared by an anonymous Mike O'Brien partygoer: "If you think of the politicians as dog breeds, O'Brien is definitely the golden retriever. [Does wide-eyed, giant-smile impression of O'Brien/golden retriever]"

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RICHARD CONLIN ISN'T ANY MORE LIKEABLE IN PERSON (IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING)

8:01PM

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  • AH

At the Warwick hotel downtown, we lost count how many times Council member Richard Conlin smiled like a Cheshire cat and shrugged when asked whether he expected to win today. We pressed him—you don't have any indication one way or the other? "Our metrics are very good," meaning there was positive responses to phone banking and door-knocking, he finally explained.

He doesn't think Sawant has picked up any momentum, he said when asked.

Lots of middle-aged white folks here, and a correspondingly bland vibe. Also celebrating at the Warwick are council members Sally Bagshaw, Nick Licata, King County Sheriff John Urquhart, and City Attorney Pete Holmes, all of whom are expected to win comfortably tonight, because of lackluster opponents or none at all. That jazzy tune from a Tattoine bar would liven things up. Ba-da-ba-da-ba-daaa...

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EXCITEMENT GALORE AT NEUMOS

8:02 PM

Over at Neumos, the Murray crowd is very excited. The word "excited" is the word you hear more than any other as you wend your way around the crowd. There are lots of tall men in suits walking around like everyone should know who they are. We assume that they're state legislators of some sort, but they look so boring that when we approach them we suffer from disorienting bursts of microsleep and we have to run in the opposite direction to stay conscious. The only dude in a suit we recognize is Dow Constantine, who just left and is on his way over to his party at the Lost Lake Cafe. He said some nice, Dow Constantine-y things. Meanwhile, a McGinn supporter stopped by to say hi to his Murray-supporting friends. He then apologized for leaving so quickly, but he said he had to rush over to the McGinn party before the results came in. "I've got to go die with my boots on," he said. Everyone laughed. All in all, everyone is just waiting for the results to drop and schmoozing OH GOD HERE COMES ANOTHERZZZZZZZZZZ

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HAPPY KIDS AND GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP AT THE SAWANT PARTY

7:52 PM

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The mood at the party for Kshama Sawant, the unabashed socialist running against forty-term incumbent Richard Conlin for Seattle City Council, is downright familial. Babies are wearing Sawant stickers, a pair of kids is slithering across the floor, playfully hissing at each other ("They're playing 'snake,'" their mother informs us), and the posters are hand-written.

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There are maybe 200 people here, drinking beer and wine and grazing their way through steamed broccoli, hummus, chicken drumsticks, and cheese and crackers. They're eagerly talking with each other about the race, the fast-food strikes, the $15/hour minimum wage, how the campaign sprung from a popular groundswell instead of the usual political machinery, and their frustration about the lack of polling for this campaign.

Just a few moments ago, Sawant showed up, her expression hopeful and open, almost struggling to stay reserved. A speaker took the stage, asking: "Is Seattle ready for a fighting city councilor?"

The crowd roared with approval—the mood is elevating and more people are pouring through the door.

A greeter at the door mentioned something about "the chants" starting at 7:50. The napkins at the snack table, we've just noticed, are red.

"If we can just get 40 percent of the vote," another speaker has just said, "that's an earthquake! .. Conlin started as a shoo-in... and we can take the corporate establishment even stronger next year!"

People seem happy whether Sawant wins or loses—happier if she wins, obviously, but hopeful in the face of a loss. Along with familial, the mood here is one of good sportsmanship.

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DOW CONSTANTINE FORGETS HIS CHAMPAGNE FOUNTAIN AT HOME

7:43PM

The SECB is at Lost Lake, the spot for King County Executive Dow Constantine's party, and we can’t help but notice we're not swimming in a champagne fountain right now. Which is odd because the man drown out his competition by raising nearly $1 million dollars in campaign contributions—and all without ruffling a hair on his sleek head.

So where the fuck is our champagne fountain, Dow? Did you forget it at home? You owe your supporters that much, at least.

A mountain of nachos has been passed, lovingly, to the table next to us, but we're not sure if we're allowed to "dig in" because we're not wearing an A-line skirt or a striped button-down shirt. We also left our flat-ironed hair in 1996. Sucks to be us!

Dow Constantines fried bounty. (Suits not pictured.)
  • Chelcie Blackmun
  • Dow Constantine's fried bounty. (Suits not pictured.)

Alicia, our wonderful server, told us Constantine's election party ordered "a lot of Manhattans" and "one of everything off the menu, twice."

Jenn and Dominique, Madison-valley roommates, are sitting behind the SECB, and while they are not here for the party, they voted for Constantine nonetheless. Jenn said, "I voted for Constantine because I'm a Democrat and I'm a Seattle liberal, go figure. But yeah... his hair. I'm not sure why this party is here."

He's a mysterious man, that Dow.

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MURRAY SUPPORTER SUPPORTS MURRAY

7:48 PM

Vanitti Fair (L) and Greg (R)
  • KELLY O
  • Vanitti Fair (L) and Greg (R)

SECB: "Why did you vote for Murray?"
Greg: "Because I think it's important to vote for a legitimate candidate representing a progressive minority."

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HOLDING THE LINE AT ED MURRAY'S PARTY

7:41 PM

The signs all around the outside of Neumo's for mayoral candidate Ed Murray's coronation election night party promised that the doors would open at 7 pm. The SECB arrived nice and early, about ten minutes before 7, to find about four people in line ahead of us. As we waited in the cold, those four people kept welcoming people to the line ahead of us, hugging and patting arms in an ostentatious attempt to cause everyone in line behind them not to notice that they were helping their friends cut in line. Meanwhile, other people brazenly cut to the front of the line, make a weak attempt to try the door, only to find that it—shocker—was locked, and then they just stayed there at the front of the line.

Meanwhile, a homeless man made his way down the line. He was African-American, and his eyes rattled around in their sockets like two lonely puppies. He was asking for money for dinner. Everyone ignored him. By ten minutes after seven, there were about forty people there, twenty of whom were in line ahead of the SECB. A couple of state representatives showed up. We didn't recognize them, but they were hailed as heroes, with giddy bureaucrats surrounding them and huffing in every detail of their mutterings about a "special session" and heading back to Olympia early.

Finally, the line stretched out past the butter effigy of Ed Murray at the corner of 11th and Pike. Everyone was cold. Everyone was pushing further to the front of the line. Rumors started circulating that the late doors were the fault of an incompetent lighting technician. Finally, after the doors opened at 7:25 and we finally flashed our licenses to the doormen after about forty other very important partygoers, we found ourselves quietly hoping that this line wasn't some sort of a symbol for what Mayor Murray's Seattle will look like.

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YES ON 522 FAILS TO DELIVER ON LSD

7:37PM

Despite earlier reports from revelers, no LSD, truffle pigs, or patchouli have been found at the GMO-hating Pioneer Square party. Yet.

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ALL ABOARD THE MILLENNIUM FALCON!

7:37PM

You know how the Millennium Falcon was that chewing gum and duct-taped together hunk of junk that Hans Solo was always absolutely confident would outrun an Imperial Star Cruiser no matter what the odds? Well that's sorta the face people are putting on here at the McGinn campaign election night party at 95 Slide. But not very well. An hour before the ballots drop there's actually less excitement and a smaller crowd than on primary night.

The SECB is still waiting for Mayor McGinn to arrive, hopefully not encased in carbonite.

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COURTNEY GREGOIRE: CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM, WITH MOM LOOKING ON

7:37 PM

Screen_shot_2013-11-05_at_7.38.49_PM.png
  • THE STRANGER

It's slow going at Port Commissioner Courtney Gregoire's party at Sole Repair. Everything is muted here, from the lighting to the conversations to the music. Courtney Gregoire says she's cautiously optimistic about winning tonight. Her mother, former governor Chris Gregoire, is here, looking very serious. In other news, a firefighter came over to express joy over The Stranger's endorsement of Tom "Crisco" Albro.

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YES ON 522 ROCKS OUT

7:34PM

Supporters of 522, the initiative to label genetically modified foods, are high-fiving and feeling "GREAT!" at the drinks table at the posh, wood-beamed Impact HUB space in Pioneer Square. To drink: local Hilliard's beer and Badger Mountain organic wine from the Columbia Valley. Are the food offerings—a spread of smoked salmon, grapes, and some suspicious grocery-store plastic trays of dipping-sized veggies—all non-GMO? "As far as we know—we don't have labels!" a supporter, who's garnishing the offerings with kale from her own garden, tells the SECB.

More realistically, campaign communications director Elizabeth Larter tells the SECB she thinks this race will be too close to call tonight. Conservatives vote early, she opines, and this one's going to be close.

While everyone waits and the room fills up, Nirvana, Tom Petty, and Twisted Sister ("We're Not Gonna Take It") play, while three screens show video of local chefs like Maria Hines (Tilth, Golden Beetle, Agrodolce) and Matt Dillon (Sitka & Spruce, the Corson Building, Bar Sajor) talking (silently) about the cause.

Expected in the house: David Bronner, of Dr. Bronner's hippie-dippie (but great!) soap and Tamara Murphy (of also-great Terra Plata).

Will the gentle Ewoks who just want us to know what's in our food win out over the evil forces of the empire, like Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer, Bayer CropScience, and Dow AgroSciences, which all poured grazillions of dollars into the no-on-522 campaign (and also brought us DDT, PCBs, Agent Orange, napalm, and, presumably, midi-chlorians)? Only time—and probably more of it than anyone here tonight wants—will tell.

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MURRAY GIVES HIS SUPPORTERS THE COLD SHOULDER

7:19PM

Where is the party?
  • The Stranger
  • Where is the party?

A line of people is snaking outside of what many assume will be Ed Murray's mayoral victory party at Neumos on Capitol Hill, but the party—which was supposed to begin at 7 pm—hasn't happened yet."Doesn't Neumos have big fancy complicated live shows with bands?" one frigid supporter asks rhetorically. "Why can't they open the doors on time?"

Meanwhile, Mayor Mike McGinn's party down the street at 95 Slide started on time. People are pre-drowning their sorrows by buying lots of drinks but at least they're goddamn warm.

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·THE MAYORAL CANDIDATES HAVE NEVER LOOKED BUTTER!
6:51 PM

Butter Ed Murray at Neumos
  • KELLY O
  • Butter Ed Murray at Neumos

Butter Mayor McGinn at 95 Slide
  • KELLY O
  • Butter Mayor McGinn at 95 Slide

Both works created by butter sculptor Linda Christensen, for Darigold. Looks like this race is about to start heating up. May the butter man win!

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·STONED HIPPIES CONFUSED BY NONEXISTENT RESULTS!
6:49 PM

“Initiative 522 is still too close to call," says an e-mail apparently sent from the patchouli-scented, LSD saturated lair of the party for Initiative 522, which would require labeling genetically modified foods. No shit it's too close to call. The results aren't posted yet. Fuckin' organic-carrot-smokin' hippies.

When they are posted, you can read state initiative results over here, and local results over here.