King County Executive candidate Susan Hutchison just gave a speech (at the Bellevue Hyatt) that seemed mildly concessionary — appropriate, given that the numbers show Constantine winning 53 to 47 percent. Hutchison told the crowd that most of the votes that have been counted so far were cast before Boeing announced it would be moving its newest 787 production line to South Carolina, but people didn’t seem optimistic.
Hutchison said, “Thank you for all you’ve done. …No matter what, we’ve changed the culture.” Then she urged supporters, “Please stay” at the party.Hutchison blamed Constantine for “bringing partisanship into the race” and said the election results were still too soon to call.
People in the room, however, seemed defeated, and many took off shortly after Hutchison’s announcement.
