Washington's Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson will advance in the race to become the state's next governor, as will former Republican congressman Dave Reichert, The Associated Press reported yesterday.

The big picture: This year is the first time Washington has had wide-open races for governor and attorney general since 2012.

The latest: Ferguson and Reichert were well ahead of more than two dozen other candidates for governor in early results from yesterday's top-two primary, causing the AP to call the race in their favor shortly after polls closed.

• Results from the vote-by-mail election, which will continue to stream in throughout the week, will decide which two candidates square off in dozens of races.

In the contest to replace Ferguson as Washington's attorney general, Democrat Nick Brown, a former U.S. attorney for Western Washington, will face Republican Pete Serrano, a Pasco City Council member who currently serves as the city's mayor.

• The AP called the primary for Brown and Serrano less than an hour after polls closed yesterday.
• Brown, who was capturing about 36% of early returns, edged out Democratic state Sen. Manka Dhingra, a former King County deputy prosecutor, who was capturing about 22% of the vote yesterday.

Seattle City Council, Position 8

Seattle City Councilmember Tanya Woo was trailing Alexis Mercedes Rinck, assistant director of policy, planning and state operations in the University of Washington's budget office, in yesterday's early returns.

• Rinck had 46.6% of the early vote, while Woo was capturing 41.4%.
• Both appear likely to advance to the November election.
• Woo needs to win this year's election to stay in office, after she was appointed in January.

Congressional races

In Washington's most competitive U.S. House race, Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is headed toward a rematch against Republican Joe Kent, who is backed by former President Trump.

• Gluesenkamp Perez, who defeated Kent in 2022, had 46.9% of the vote, while Kent was capturing 38.4% of the vote in Washington's 3rd Congressional District yesterday.

See more results

All aboard! Train travel in the Pacific Northwest is roaring back, with Amtrak Cascades trains seeing a 75% jump in ridership last year.

Why it matters: Train ridership fell hard during the pandemic. But it's coming back strong as people choose trains for the views, the fares and the sustainability, Axios Finish Line reports.

Zoom in: The number of passengers who got on or off Amtrak Cascades trains in Seattle was about 472,000 in 2023, compared to 280,000 in 2022, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

• That's not far behind the 510,000 trips taken in 2019, per WSDOT.

By the numbers: Passenger numbers at the busiest Northwest stations — King Street Station in Seattle and Union Station in Portland — jumped 68% and 43%, respectively, in 2023 over 2022, per WSDOT.

• The Cascades route from Seattle to B.C. jumped 48% in ridership so far this fiscal year, per the Wall Street Journal.

What to watch: Whether Seattle will get the ultra-high-speed rail between Vancouver and Portland that WSDOT is studying.

Share this story

🚊 Downtown Seattle's University Street light rail station will be renamed Symphony Station starting Aug. 30, to avoid confusion with the University of Washington Station and U District Station. (Seattle Times)

🔱 The Mariners, at the top of the American League West once again, are on track to make franchise history with 68 quality starts so far this season.

• The M's entered the series with the Detroit Tigers in Seattle last night at 59-54, ahead of the Houston Astros by 1.5 games. (Sports Illustrated)

🚣 Rowers from the University of Washington won 11 medals at the Paris Olympics, setting a new record for the school's lauded crew program. (KUOW)

The Seattle City Council approved a pilot program yesterday to house some misdemeanor offenders at the SCORE jail in Des Moines. (KIRO 7)

A few of you correctly guessed our colorful mystery location from last week.

• We were in front of the "Find Yourself Outside" mural near the corner of 28th Avenue South and South Jackson Street, across from Flo Ware Park.

Context: The mural was commissioned by Eddie Bauer, the Seattle-based outdoor brand.

• It was painted by Perri Rhoden and AfroSPK, two painters who are a part of Vivid Matter Collective.
• In a plaque next to the mural, the artists say it's about people — especially Black people and people of color — reconnecting with themselves and the outdoors.

As promised, we decided to highlight one of our readers who correctly guessed the location of the above mural.

Rachael Brister has lived in Seattle for more than 20 years and loves recommending places to go in Seattle — so much that some of her friends call her "their personal Zagat guide," she tells Axios.

A few of her tips:

• Hit up Flora Bakehouse for their "incredible baked goods," rooftop deck, focaccia pizza or soft-serve in a croissant cone.
• On Capitol Hill, Donna's has a happy hour with "delicious" pastas for $10, plus a killer tomato-basil gin martini, she says.
• Mr. West Cafe Bar downtown is a great place to work, read or grab a bite, she says.

Her perfect Seattle day may also involve a walk through the Olympic Sculpture Park or visits to Hellenika Frozen Creamery, Maiz Molino or the Elliott Bay Book Company.

Thanks, Rachael, for sharing your Seattle wisdom with us!