Did Pierce County Democrats bungle last week’s ranked choice voting election? That’s the question some are asking even as the ballots are still being counted.

In two key races – county executive and county council District 2 – Democratic candidates collectively are winning majorities of the vote. But individually they trail Republican candidates in the number of first-choice votes received in ballots counted through Monday.

In the executive’s race, Democrats Pat McCarthy and Calvin Goings together have collected 133,951 votes, compared to Republican Shawn Bunney’s 95,320 votes. However, McCarthy (71,362 votes) trails Bunney, followed by Goings (62,589) and independent Mike Lonergan (41,208).

In the District 2 council race, Democrats Al Rose and Carolyn Merrival together have 17,813 first-choice votes, compared to 17,762 for Republican Joyce McDonald. But Rose trails McDonald by a substantial margin, with Merrival a distant third.

Which leads some to wonder whether splitting the Democratic vote was a smart idea. The party decided earlier this year to allow multiple candidates to run under the Democratic banner.

By contrast, Republicans narrowly rejected Lonergan’s request to carry their party label. That forced him to run under his own Executive Excellence banner. Lonergan said on election night that he suffered for not having a major party label. Presumably, Bunney benefited from that decision.

In an e-mail to supporters Sunday, Goings questioned the wisdom of allowing multiple candidates to run as Democrats. He noted the result could be a Republican executive and a Republican supermajority on the county council.

“These races are not at risk because Republicans received more total votes, quite the opposite,” Goings wrote. “These seats are in jeopardy because multiple Democrats ran for each position. Soon, county Democrats will need to do some real soul searching on how we run and win in a ranked choice voting environment. Clearly the Republicans have already thought this through.”

You can read Goings’ full e-mail below.

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Dear Friends,

I want to thank you once again for your unwavering support for my campaign for Pierce County Executive. Both Amy and I are grateful and humbled by the broadbased coalition that came together to support our efforts.

I made the decision to run for Executive because I believe that Pierce County's best days still lay ahead of us if we only have the commitment, passion, and vision to reach for our full potential. With that said, it looks as if the results are not what we had anticipated. However, I want to reiterate to you that, as a third generation Pierce County resident, my roots are planted firmly in this community. Together, we will continue to advocate for the issues that matter most to our families. I look forward to staying actively involved in our community.

Finally, like you, I am deeply concerned that in a Democratic year of change it appears that because of Ranked Choice Voting, Pierce County will be a red mark on a blue state. While there are thousands of votes yet to be counted, recent trends seem to indicate that Shawn Bunney is closing on Pat McCarthy and myself for Executive, Dale Washam is leading Barbara Gelman for Assessor-Treasurer, and Joyce McDonald is leading Al Rose and Carolyn Merrival for Council. If current trends continue, Pierce County could see a Republican Executive and a supermajority (5 seats to two) of Republicans on the County Council.

These races are not at risk because Republicans received more total votes, quite the opposite. These seats are in jeopardy because multiple Democrats ran for each position. Soon, county Democrats will need to do some real soul searching on how we run and win in a Ranked Choice Voting environment. Clearly the Republicans have already thought this through.

Thank you again for your unwavering support. I am proud of the campaign we ran, and I am already prepared to look to the future.

With Gratitude,
Calvin Goings
Calvin