Next year's midterm elections are top of mind for politicians. And the stakes are incredibly high, especially for our state's most competitive Congressional seat: Southwest Washington's 3rd district. While the district broke for Trump three times, it also sent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to the U.S. House -- twice. But her challenger in 2026 will test whether voters support her unique politics or felt her previous opponent was just too extreme.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your ballot was sitting on your counter waiting to be turned in, well, it's expired now. The primary election is past. Results, however, are coming in. This week we take a look at two different trends. At the city level, voters have an anti-incumbent bent, but in state legislative races, incumbent Democrats who voted for tax increases seem to (mostly) be okay.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're celebrating our first birthday as a show. And don't worry, it isn't going to be one of those awkward first birthday parties where you have to make small talk with strangers, because we're making small talk about the latest political news, including some recent polls that show voter discontent with new Governor Bob Ferguson. Plus, we break down some mayoral races before the primary and answer a listener question about the future of income taxes in Washington.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/politics. Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts Catharine Smith and Libby Denkmann.

And we want to hear from you! Send us your politics questions by emailing soundpolitics@kuow.org or give us a call at 206-221-0511.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The vast majority of Americans say that money in politics is a threat to democracy. Seattle came up with a novel solution: give everyone money to donate to candidates. In 2015, voters approved the Democracy Voucher program, but is it working? We’ll talk about it ahead of the August 5th primary when voters will decide if the Democracy Voucher program should stick around.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our host is Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're taking a look at the Seattle mayoral election. Eight people are running, including incumbent Bruce Harrell. The primary election on August 5 will whittle that field down to two candidates. This office is nonpartisan, but the race has turned into a test of progressive versus moderate. Mayor Harrell is seen as a moderate, and he’s being primaried mostly from the left this year. Local Democrats are wondering how races like this one will shake out in the second President Trump era and whether voters want to change course on issues like affordability, homelessness, and budget deficits. You can hear the full interviews with the mayoral candidates on Soundside this week.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/politics. Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts Catharine Smith and Libby Denkmann.

And we want to hear from you! Send us your politics questions by emailing soundpolitics@kuow.org or give us a call at 206-221-0511.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Law and Order: Local Government edition. We’re talking legal news and electing lawyers. We take a deep dive into the Seattle city attorney election and whether a Republican can distance herself from the president and win in that deep blue city. We also recap the week in legal stories in Western Washington municipalities, including an update on King County Assessor John Wilson (who recently dropped out of the executive race) and a conflict in Pierce County between the sheriff and prosecutor.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/politics. Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

And we want to hear from you! Send us your politics questions by emailing soundpolitics@kuow.org or give us a call at 206-221-0511.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. House just voted in favor of a massive tax and spending bill. And, here in Washington, on Wednesday night, a high-ranking King County official was arrested.

King County Assessor John Wilson is running for county executive – an open seat overseeing the Seattle-area metro system, county jail, sheriffs, and more.

Wilson was arrested for allegedly violating a restraining order against his ex-fiancee.

But who is Wilson, and why is he running for executive?

Today, we’re re-broadcast a conversation between Scott and Libby from KUOW’s Soundside. Because even if you don’t live in King County and aren’t voting in the upcoming primary election, it surfaces lots of important questions about due process and how and when elected officials are held accountable.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/politics. Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producers this week are Sarah Leibovitz and Jason Burrows. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

And we want to hear from you! Send us your politics questions by emailing soundpolitics@kuow.org or give us a call at 206-221-0511.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For now, a cease-fire between Iran and Israel appears to be holding, following a 12 day period of fighting between the two countries that culminated in an attack on three Iranian nuclear sites by the US, and a counterattack by Iran on an American military base in Qatar.

The strikes, and subsequent peace agreement, have been met with a variety of responses from American lawmakers.

Is this a military victory? A violation of constitutional oversight? A failed attempt to take out a nuclear power?

Congressman Michael Baumgartner joins us to discuss.

Plus: how he’s feeling six months into representing the 5th Congressional District, and why he voted in favor of President Trump’s big, beautiful, bill.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/politics. Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer this week is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

And we want to hear from you! Send us your politics questions by emailing soundpolitics@kuow.org or give us a call at 206-221-0511.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.