Here's who's winning and losing after Washington state's latest ballot drop

EverOut

Where to Celebrate the Biden-Harris Presidential Victory in Seattle

by Stranger EverOut Staff • Saturday at 2:10 pm

Trophy Cupcakes just dropped limited quantities of Biden Harris cupcakes in their bakeries. If you miss them today, theyll sell them online starting at 3 pm on Sunday.
Trophy Cupcakes just dropped limited quantities of Biden Harris cupcakes in their bakeries. If you miss them today, they'll sell them online starting at 3 pm on Sunday. Trophy Cupcakes via Instagram

EverOut is The Stranger's new website devoted to things to do in Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest. It has all the same things you're used to seeing from Stranger EverOut and Stranger Things To Do, just in a new spot!

Finally, the moment we've been waiting for is here: Biden has won! If you're looking for somewhere to celebrate today, these restaurants and bars have you covered, with cocktail and champagne deals, custom cupcakes, Trump piñatas, and more. 

Admiral Pub
The classic West Seattle bar is hosting an all-day celebration until 11 pm.

Cupcake Royale
The cupcake bakery is offering a celebratory free "baby cake" or sticker with any purchase at all of their cafes today.

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2020

BIDEN WINS, Here's Who He Should Thank for the Victory

by Rich Smith and Charles Mudede • Saturday at 8:41 am

Lots of work from lots of different kinds of people put these two in office.
Lots of work from lots of different kinds of people put these two in office. DREW ANGERER / GETTY

THEY'VE CALLED IT. FINALLY. NBC, ABC, AP, NYT, every fucking media acronym you can think of now projects Joe Biden to win the Keystone State and therefore the presidential election of 2020. After five days of high-velocity edging courtesy of cable news, we've finally cast off an openly racist tyrant, and, if nothing else, we all feel four years younger. In a historic achievement of representation in politics, we have also elected the first Black and South Asian woman as Vice President.

People are shouting out their windows and banging pots in Seattle. It's over. It's finally fucking over. Mudede's going to McDonald's for a celebratory breakfast sandwich. Rich is going to triumphantly vacuum. Now is the time to celebrate, each of us in our own way.

In trying to determine the formula that led to the Biden/Harris victory, as if such a formula could be replicated in a lab and distributed to every state in the country and work just as well, a predictable woke vs anti-woke debate has broken out, complete with its predictable false choices.

The anti-woke say white suburban Independents who flipped from Trump to Biden gave us Biden. The woke credit members of the Democratic base—Black women, Latinos, and activists who worked to get out the vote for Biden, etc. This dichotomy forecloses the possibility that both kinds of groups, and therefore appeals to both sorts of rhetorics and ideologies, were necessary to drag Biden over the finish line.

Though it's still way early, and though there's still tons of precinct-level data to work through (once it eventually comes out), here's who seem to be the heroes of this Democratic victory.

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News • 2020

Ballot Update: The Rightward Shift Continues as Statehouse Dems Hope to Break Even

by Rich Smith • Friday at 6:30 pm

But clearly not enough of you voted in the 17th, the 10th, and the 19th Legislative Districts.
But clearly not enough of you voted in the 17th, the 10th, and the 19th Legislative Districts. DAVID MCNEW/GETTY

Well, Chase predicted we wouldn't learn the results of the Presidential contest until Hanukkah, and with every passing hour he's looking more and more correct, thanks to some slow counting, the particular mysteriousness of provisional votes, and some understandable caution from official projectors.

Nevertheless, Washington state ballot counters continue chugging along at their normal pace, and they've given us some more results to sort through today.

Let's take a look:

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Slog AM/PM • 2020

Slog PM: Count the Votes, We Can Wait

by Chase Burns and Jasmyne Keimig • Friday at 6:00 pm

We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the stories you've come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to The Stranger.

And the counting continues....
The counting continues. Elaine Cromie/Getty
Today, we're running Slog PM as a liveblog. Circle back around for updates. If you head outside today, wear a mask.
ARIZONA IS CLOSE, BUT TRUMP'S NOT CATCHING UP
6:15 PM

The biggest county in Arizona, and the source of most of the state's uncounted ballots, just released the results from about 70,000 counted ballots. Trump barely received more ballots than Biden in this batch, narrowing the distance between the two to 29,861 votes statewide. However, Trump did not win the 57.5% share of the vote to put him on track to win Arizona over Biden. While this closes the gap between the two candidates, this latest ballot drop is still good news for Biden. More tomorrow.

Maricopa County this AM.
Maricopa County this AM.
Maricopa County this PM.
Maricopa County this PM.
BIDEN WILL PROBABLY SPEAK TONIGHT
5:15 PM

According to the New York Times' liveblog, word on the street is the Biden campaign expects the former vice president to speak tonight, official call be damned. The plan was for Biden to address the nation with a "primetime" speech as he looks victory right in the motherfucking face, but the tone of his speech will depend on what the results look like. "Things are still fluid."

NEVADA IS FINISHED COUNTING FOR TONIGHT, MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS TOMORROW
5 PM

The state of Nevada would like us to get off their asses, please!

State election officials just announced that they have stopped counting today, with about 120,000 ballots left statewide. The state plans on dropping their next ballot drop around 9 am Seattle-time tomorrow.

On top of that, a federal judge in Nevada has denied state Republicans’ emergency request to stop the use of signature-verification machines. Yesterday, Nevada GOP groups filed a lawsuit that aimed to prevent Clark County’s use of the machines in their ballot-counting process. It looks like that’s not going to happen.

Right now, we’re waiting on the latest ballot drop in Maricopa County and will be back with more updates soon.

TRUMP WON'T CONCEDE, SECURITY WILL JUST KICK HIM OUT
4:30 PM

Trump has no intention of ever conceding, according to a Vanity Fair article that cites Trump's allies. When asked about this plan, a Biden campaign person said: "The U.S. government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House."

Meanwhile, on the Tweet Machine, Trump claimed he "had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miraculously disappear as the days went by." He did not, Biden was leading the popular and electoral votes late into the first election night, and the leads did not "miraculously" disappear. We counted more votes. That's not miraculous. It's democracy.

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Food & Drink • EverOut

Hitchcock Becomes Burgerhaus and More Seattle Food News You Can Use This Week: November 6, 2020 Edition

by Stranger EverOut Staff • Friday at 4:15 pm

Brendan McGills Bainbridge Island restaurant Hitchcock is transforming into Burgerhaus, a Bavarian-inspired burger destination.
Brendan McGill's Bainbridge Island restaurant Hitchcock is transforming into Burgerhaus, a Bavarian-inspired burger destination. Burgerhaus

EverOut is The Stranger's new website devoted to things to do in Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest. It has all the same things you're used to seeing from Stranger EverOut and Stranger Things To Do, just in a new spot!

This week, Bainbridge Island's celebrated Hitchcock will morph into a Bavarian burger destination, the beloved Octopus Bar has opened a new takeout window, and a Vietnamese coffee shop has brought pandan waffles to Little Saigon. Plus, Chophouse Row gets some new residents with the upcoming openings of Meetea Cafe and Light Sleeper. Read on for that and more culinary updates. For additional inspiration, check out our food and drink guide.

NEW OPENINGS AND RETURNS
Burgerhaus
Like many other restaurants undergoing a more takeout-friendly pivot right now, chef Brendan McGill's acclaimed Bainbridge Island restaurant Hitchcock is rebranding as a Bavarian-inspired burger joint called Burgerhaus and will officially reopen for dine-in and takeout under the new name on Tuesday, November 10, according to a press release. The direction for the change was inspired in part by the popularity of McGill's past Sacka-Burgers pop-ups. The menu includes dry-aged pasture-finished Washington beef, chicken, lamb, and fish sandwiches, local and organic salads and vegetable dishes, sides, shakes, floats, and cocktails, like the "Alpine Smile" (cognac, gin, Zirbenz, Creme Yvette, lemon, raspberry gomme) and the "Yodel at Yer Boy" (gin, chartreuse verte, elderflower, vermouth bianco). 
Bainbridge Island

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Economy

Uber's Prop 22 Means More Gig Work—Here's What to Expect When Your Job Turns into Freelancing

by Matt Baume • Friday at 2:00 pm

First, get a gig doing SEO for Cat Fancy so you can write off all your Fancy Feast
First, get a gig doing SEO for Cat Fancy so you can write off all your Fancy Feast sanjeri / Getty Images

California’s passage of Prop 22 means that Lyft and Uber can classify their drivers in a weird employee/contractor grey zone, where the company can exploit them for labor with fewer benefits. The companies have already said they plan to take that model nationwide, and they’re surely not alone. Just imagine CEOs everywhere giddily reading the news and envisioning a benefit-free workforce while the pupils of their eyes are replaced with dollar signs making cash register sounds.

So let’s blast our minds into the future and imagine that employers are jumping on the gig-worker train as fast as they can, converting their workforce from full-time employment to an army of freelancers. When your boss delivers the news that you’ll be part of that shift, what can you expect? Well, as someone who’s spent time on both sides of the gig-work divide, I can offer a little sneak peek at how your job—your life, really—might change.

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Politics • 2020 • Flipping the Fucking Senate • Flippin Georgia

Georgia Looks Ahead to Presidential Recount, Two Possible Senate Runoffs

by Jasmyne Keimig • Friday at 12:45 pm

I believe Rev. Raphael Warnock can beat out Trump lackey and Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the Georgia Senate runoff.
I believe Rev. Raphael Warnock can beat out Trump lackey and Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the Georgia Senate runoff. Jessica McGowan/Getty
With a presidential election recount on the state's horizon, the battle for control of the Senate will stretch into next year if Georgia has anything to say about it.

Peach State law stipulates that if no single candidate receives a simple majority of a race's votes, the top two candidates advance to a runoff held in January. The special election between Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock and Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler is already sure to go to a runoff in January, with neither candidate capturing more than 50% of the vote.

Georgia's Senate elections have yet to get called for runoffs officially. However, the more the state counts ballots, the more it's looking like both Senate seats will still be up for grabs next year. As of this morning, Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue leads Democrat Jon Ossoff—but he has just below the 50% necessary to win under Georgia state law. So come January 5, it looks like we'll have another round of fighting for control over the Senate.

While failing to capture over half of the votes, Warnock managed to pull out ahead of all candidates with 32.9%. Loeffler split the Republican vote with GOP Representative and fellow Trump lover Doug Collins, both of whom clocked in at 26% and 20%, respectively. Meanwhile, with 98% reporting, Perdue leads Ossoff 49.8% to 47.8%, making it likely that we'll see all these candidates face off again in a couple of months.

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EverOut

Your Guide to a Socially Distanced Weekend in Seattle: In-Person Events, Places to Buy Candles and Weed, and More

by Stranger EverOut Staff • Friday at 12:30 pm

When you buy an autumnal item from five different vendors at Saturdays Columbia City Harvest Market, youll earn yourself a free bottle of organic olive oil.
When you buy an autumnal item from five different vendors at Saturday's Columbia City Harvest Market, you'll earn yourself a free bottle of organic olive oil. Columbia City Farmers Market via Facebook

EverOut is The Stranger's new website devoted to things to do in Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest. It has all the same things you're used to seeing from Stranger EverOut and Stranger Things To Do, just in a new spot!

As we wait for a final call on the election, thousands of votes for which are still being counted in key battleground states, it's tempting to spend the weekend laying on the floor, clutching your phone. We're certainly not condemning that, but we also want to point you to some other options, like looking at art or buying a candle with Kamala Harris's face on it. See our picks for general activities and in-person events below, from the reopening of the Frye Art Museum to places to order ramen while you watch Tampopo, and from the Columbia City Harvest Market to 600 Highwaymen's A Thousand Ways Part II: An Encounter. Don't feel like leaving the house? Check out our picks for the best online events this week, or look ahead to the best things to do all month long.

VISUAL ART
Pay a visit to the Frye Art Museum, which officially reopened to the public this week with social distancing measures in place. As of November 5, the First Hill fine-art institution is welcoming back mask-wearing timed ticket holders (don't worry, admission is still free) to its comfortingly echoey chambers. On view is Unsettling Femininity: Selections from the Frye Art Museum Collection, curated from the Frye permanent collection; Subspontaneous, featuring work by Seattle-based artists Francesca Lohmann and Rob Rhee; Agnieszka Polska's Love Bite, which recalls Carl Sagan's Spaceship of the Imagination; and the latest Boren Banner Series, which features a large-scale black-and-white portrait (Ronnie and Cleveland, 2006) by Seattle photographer Marilyn Montufar on the building's exterior.

Read on EverOut »

Guest Editorial

Nurses Say Mayor Durkan Must Act Now on Safe Consumption Space Promise

by Ramona Emerson and Mandy Sladky • Friday at 12:05 pm

Health care workers for safe consumption sites.
Health care workers for safe consumption sites. Yes to SCS Coalition

While our collective attention centers around the COVID-19 pandemic, another longstanding public health crisis continues and is worsening. This spring, King County saw an unprecedented spike in drug overdose deaths and the most deaths from fentanyl ever recorded. Seattle has also recently faced concentrated outbreaks of disease transmission from unsafe drug use.

Safe/supervised Consumption Spaces (SCS) are a vital and long-overdue part of a comprehensive response to preventing deaths and improving community health and safety.

SCS are health care and social service locations where people can consume drugs more safely, decreasing the negative health impacts of problematic drug use. Staff not only intervene in the event of an overdose, but also provide resources, including referrals to treatment. Decades of research shows that SCS improves the health and well-being of both individuals with substance use disorders and the larger community.

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News • City

Seattle's New Budget Forecast Is Rosier, but Still Fucked

by Nathalie Graham • Friday at 11:04 am

Budget Chair Teresa Mosqueda and the rest of the council will direct how the new funds are spent.
Budget Chair Teresa Mosqueda and the rest of the council will direct how the new funds are spent. SHITTY SCREENSHOT OF THE SEATTLE CHANNEL

With less than a month left for the Seattle City Council to finalize and vote on the 2021 city budget, on Monday the City Budget Office (CBO) announced a new revenue forecast that added $57 million in net revenue to the 2020 and 2021 budgets. (Yes, I realize it's Friday and this post is coming late, but you weren't reading city news this week anyway.) The 2021 budget currently under council deliberation received a $32.5 million increase to the 2021 general fund, bumping the total fund from $1.49 billion to $1.52 billion.

The revenue increase comes at a time when the council needs to weigh hard decisions about where to staunch the bleeding from cuts in Mayor Jenny Durkan's proposed budget, where to add programs, and how to balance a mayoral budget proposal currently unbalanced by $12 million.

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News

Slog AM: It Looks Like Stacey Abrams Saved the Whole World; Biden Leads GA, PA, NV, and AZ Is Still Solid; Record 120,000 New Coronavirus Cases

by Charles Mudede • Friday at 8:41 am

The setting for my new play...
The setting for my new play... plherrera/gettyimages.com

A White Unicorn Is Galloping Through a Mist: I wake up and wonder if my memories are real or implanted by some biotech corporation in South Lake Union. I look at the time on my smartphone. It is 4 am. I look at the election news on New York Time's website:

Joseph R. Biden Jr. overtook President Trump in Georgia overnight, but the slim margin of his current lead falls squarely into recount territory in the state — 0.5 percent or under.
At this point Biden is ahead in every life-or-death race but one, North Carolina. Rational Americans are running out of nails to bite. This president cost many of us a week or two of life in the future already.

Here We Go: "Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger says there will be a recount in Georgia."

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News • 2020

Ballot Update: Later Votes Continue Leaning Right

by Rich Smith • Thursday at 7:30 pm

Yeah wow not lookin as pretty as election night.
Yeah wow not lookin' as pretty as election night. DAVID MCNEW/GETTY

Though the country's future will likely remain miserably, nightmarishly, doomscrollingly unclear until early January, the futures of candidates in Washington state became a little clearer after this afternoon's ballot drop.

With an estimated 230,000-ish ballots left to count—with an emphasis on "estimated," as the Secretary of State's office compiles this number from county estimates, which sometimes don't include mail votes that arrived after election day—the red-shifting trends we noticed yesterday are carrying through to today.

Let's take a look:

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Slog AM/PM • 2020

Slog PM: Biden Tiptoes Toward Victory

by Chase Burns and Jasmyne Keimig • Thursday at 6:45 pm

We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the stories you've come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to The Stranger.

The merch is ready. The votes are not.
The merch is ready. The votes are not. Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Today and tomorrow, we're running Slog PM as a liveblog starting around noon. Circle back around for updates. If you head outside today, wear a mask.
BIDEN TIES TRUMP IN GEORGIA, LEAD NARROWS IN ARIZONA, GAINING ON TRUMP IN PENNSYLVANIA
6:45 PM

Trump won Arizona's Maricopa County's latest ballot drop of 73,000 by around 14 points. The race in The Grand Canyon State now stands at Biden with 50.1% of the vote and Trump with 48.5%. Biden is up by over 46,000 votes. Trump will need to maintain or surpass those numbers to win Arizona. Maricopa County officials are expected to release more results from the race early tomorrow.

However, the races in Georgia and Pennsylvania remain juicy. With Georgia's Clayton County results coming in, Biden is virtually TIED with that orange fuck, only trailing by 1,902 freaking votes at the moment. They are both at 49.4%. Votes continue to come in, so those percentages are shifting. Around 16,000 ballots are left to count in Georgia, leaving the door open to a Democratic surprise. Biden is behind 48,800 votes in Pennsylvania, but there are tons of ballots from liberal-leaning counties that have yet to be counted and could quickly push him to victory in the state.

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News • #SeattleProtest

Protester in Critical Condition After an Arrest Outside the East Precinct

by Rich Smith • Thursday at 6:11 pm

This post was originally published at midnight last night, but we're re-upping it on Slog due to a number of updates.

A 30-year-old trans-masculine man remains in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center after Seattle police arrested him on Wednesday night outside the East Precinct.

Video of the arrest shows a protester in black falling to the ground as an officer grabs his backpack. Over a loudspeaker a cop can be heard saying, "Move back away, we're making a legal arrest here. There's been property damage, and as a result we're taking enforcement action." A few seconds later, two officers appear to join the first officer, and then shortly thereafter a third, ultimately leading to four cops piling on the person.

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2020

Seattle Lives in a Bubble, but What's Wrong With That?

by Charles Mudede • Thursday at 5:18 pm

We be in a bubble...
"We be in a bubble..." davedesignmethod/gettyimages.com

Or maybe it's better to say, the cities on the Left Coast live in bubbles. But what does this mean, being in a bubble?

It is usually criticism directed at cosmopolitan myopia. We see mostly our politics, beliefs, and practices, and we have very little idea about what makes rural types tick. Then an election happens, then some buffoon becomes president, then we in the city are surprised and baffled by the scale and size of rural idiocy. This, to my best understanding, is what someone means when they say: "You Seattle city slickers live in a bubble."

The bubble criticism might be old, but I think it became a thing after the Clinton years. During this period, something like dark energy began acting on the differences between politics in the city and its outside areas. Now, dark energy is a force that's unknown but is expanding the universe at a faster and faster rate. Something like this force is at work in the US's political culture.

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