The 2001 King County Executive election was held on November 6, 2001. Incumbent Democratic County Executive Ron Sims ran for re-election to a second term. Though several prominent Republicans, including County Councilman Rob McKenna, considered running against Sims,[1] he faced relatively little-known challengers. He was challenged by Kirkland City Councilman Santos Contreras, civil engineer Alan Lobdell.[2] In the blanket primary, Sims received 59 percent of the vote. Contreras defeated Lobdell to win the Republican nomination, 26–12 percent, and advanced to the general election, along with Libertarian businessman David Fries. Sims ultimately won a second term in a landslide, receiving 61 percent of the vote to Contreras's 35 percent.
^Democratic Party of Washington State v. Reed, 343 F.3d 1198, 1207 (9th Cir. 2003) (". . . the Washington blanket primary statute is on its face an unconstitutional burden on the rights of free association of the Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians who have brought this suit.").
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