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State Senator Joe Nguyen will be the first legitimate challenger in 12 years for incumbent Dow Constantine in the 2021 race for King County Executive.

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Constantine hasn’t faced a significant election challenge since he first took office in 2009, winning his third term in 2017 after beating Republican Bill Hirt by a 77% to 22% margin. Nguyen, a Democrat, represents a candidate on the other side of the political spectrum from Hirt (who is also running for executive again in 2021), in a county known for its status as a progressive stronghold.

Since first arriving in the state Senate in 2019, Nguyen has pushed for a 32-hour work week, a big business tax, a universal basic income pilot program, and an overhaul of the arbitration process .

On his campaign website, he outlines five main issues: homelessness, climate change policies, criminal justice reform, transportation, and post-pandemic economic recovery. For law enforcement, reforming police departments as “a moral imperative.” That’s all part of what Nguyen describes as a “New Deal for King County.”

“It’s time we build a new vision for our region,” he said in a video announcing his campaign. “What we’ve faced this last year has given us a once in a lifetime opportunity to address what the pandemic has exposed.”

“It’s time for the executive’s office to lead the way and get it done,” he added.

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Constantine announced his reelection campaign in November 2020, and received early endorsements from Gov. Jay Inslee, current Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and the Martin Luther King Labor Council, among others.

He was first elected in 2009, after then-Executive Ron Sims stepped down to join the Obama administration as deputy secretary of housing and urban development.

Back when Inslee was weighing a presidential campaign prior to the 2020 election, Constantine had briefly weighed a gubernatorial campaign. He later withdrew his candidacy after Inslee opted to run for reelection.