Longtime KC Councilwoman Jane Hague trails Bellevue mayor

Jane Hague, a King County Councilwoman since 1994, trails in her reelection bid against Bellevue mayor Claudia Balducci.

After the first count Tuesday night, Balducci had 59.29 percent of the vote. Hague, seeking a seventh term, had 40.5. There were 26,273 votes counted.

Hague represents District 6 which includes Clyde Hill, Hunts Point, Mercer Island, Redmond, Bellevue and other areas.

Hague was first elected as a Republican in the first year the county government merged with Metro. She became Council Chair in 1996.

Before being elected to the King County Council, Hague was elected to the Bellevue City Council while concurrently serving as Manager of King County Records and Elections Division. She also served as president of the Washington Association of Counties.

In 2007, Hague was arrested for DUI and recorded blood-alcohol readings of 0.135 and 0.141, according to court records. She apologized for her language to troopers in that incident, and later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

Balducci was endorsed by U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, Governor Jay Inslee and King County Executive Dow Constantine, among others.

She has served as Bellevue mayor since 2014, was director of the King County Jail and also was a sound Transit board member. Balducci has served as a Bellevue City Council member since 2004 and was deputy mayor from 2008-09.

“Claudia got her start as a neighborhood advocate, working to improve access and quality of life issues in the Lake Hills neighborhood in Bellevue, where she still lives with her husband and 9 year-old son, Victor,” according to her campaign biography.

“She has remained involved in local and regional issues as a volunteer on the Boards of the Puget Sound Regional Council, Eastside Transportation Partnership, Youth Link, and King County Washington Women’s Lawyers among many others.”

KIRO