Washington State Senator Joe Nguyen is trailing with 30% of the vote. Credit: KING Author: KING 5 Staff Updated: 8:44 PM PDT August 3, 2021 KING COUNTY, Wash. — Incumbent Dow Constantine is leading the primary race for King County executive after an initial ballot count Aug. 3. Constantine has 54% of the vote. Top challenger Joe Nguyen is trailing Constantine, but holding strong, with 30% of the vote. Bill Hirt has 12% of the vote. The top two primary candidates move on to the general election in November. "I think if I were the executive with these numbers, I’d be a little concerned. He’s going to have to put the jets on and really work hard to get higher percentages," KING 5 Political analyst Ron Sims said.