Civil attorney Sal Mungia has secured a seat on Washington’s highest court, narrowly defeating Seattle-area municipal judge Dave Larson by just 1% in the Nov. 5 election. The election results, certified by the Washington secretary of state on Wednesday, revealed that Mungia received 50.05% of the vote, amounting to 1,644,253 votes, while Larson garnered 49.44%, or 1,624,309 votes.
Mungia, who currently serves as the managing partner of Gordon Thomas Honeywell LLP, will replace Justice Susan Owens on the state Supreme Court when she retires at the end of the year after reaching the court’s age limit of 75. Mungia had the backing of Justice Owens, seven other sitting justices, and the state’s Democratic leadership, including Governor Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
The race became highly contentious, with Mungia criticizing Larson’s limited experience as a municipal judge for Federal Way, while Larson accused Mungia of being elitist. Larson, who was endorsed by the state GOP and conservative groups, campaigned on restoring public trust in the judiciary, claiming that conservative voters felt marginalized.
