Chris Reykdal, a former representative in the state House, will be Washington’s next superintendent of public instruction.
Chris Reykdal will be Washington’s next state superintendent of public instruction.
Opponent Erin Jones conceded the race Tuesday after an updated vote count showed she cannot catch up to Reykdal even if all the remaining votes went to her. With about 20,930 votes left to count, Reykdal had 50.5 percent of the total on Tuesday afternoon — and 28,438 more votes than Jones.
Reykdal, 44, gave up his seat in the state House of Representatives, where he represented the 22nd Legislative District, to run for state superintendent. He began planning for the transition from legislator to schools chief last week, when the numbers suggested he was close to clinching the race.
Jones, 45, has been offered several jobs but hasn’t committed to anything yet, she said in a video posted on her campaign Facebook page. She said she wants to be a part of the “healing of our nation.”
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“If we have learned anything through this election cycle, it’s that we are very fractured. The parties are fractured, our nation is fractured” she said. “I really want to be a bridge builder and a community developer.”