by Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
November 5, 2025
A close contest between two Democrats for a Washington state House seat tightened further Wednesday.
Kevin Schilling’s lead on state Rep. Edwin Obras shrank to 199 votes in their 33rd Legislative District duel in south King County. The district includes Burien, Normandy Park, Des Moines, SeaTac and much of Kent.
Schilling, the mayor of Burien, led Obras by 358 votes on Tuesday night. More votes will be counted in the days ahead.
“We are excited we got a lot closer. We will keep looking at the numbers the next couple days but this is a good sign,” said John Wyble, Obras’s campaign advisor. “The most important thing is that every vote is counted.”
Schilling also preached patience citing the many ballots left to tally.
“We always knew no matter what it was going to be a close race,” he said. Noting his campaign knocked on 30,000 doors, he added, “Each vote matters. Each of those conversations is going to be a big difference maker here.”
Obras, from SeaTac, was appointed in December, filling the vacancy created when Democratic state Rep. Tina Orwall moved from the House to the Senate.
He was one of nine Democratic state lawmakers seeking to retain their seats in Tuesday’s election. As the results stood on Wednesday, he is the only one facing the potential of getting dislodged from office.
Schilling, served as political director for retired congressman Derek Kilmer. He enjoyed the backing of U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Bellevue, Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs.
Obras snagged endorsements from U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, state Superintendent Chris Reykdal and many House colleagues.
Schilling outspent Obras by a slight sum, $283,000 to Obras’ $237,000. But outside groups spent hundreds of thousands more on independent campaigns targeting each candidate.
County canvassing boards will certify local results on Nov. 25 and the secretary of state will certify the results of the general election no later than Dec. 4.
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