Following the primary election on Tuesday, the top two candidates from each race will now advance to the November 5th general election.
In Washington, placing first overall in your race actually can give you a concrete edge: the winner gets their name placed first on the general ballot.
Studies show that actually does provide some advantage. However, that's mostly true in smaller races, where the candidates aren't well known, and in non-partisan elections where you can't just pick your favorite party's candidate.
But, Spokane has an interesting history when it comes to primaries.
In the previous four mayoral elections, the winner of the primary has only gone on to win the general half the time.
In 2003, Jim West won in both August and November.
But in 2007, Dennis Hession narrowly beat Mary Verner in the primary. He then lost to her by five points in the general.
And in 2011 there was an even bigger upset. Verner got nearly 60 percent in the primary. But then come November, David Condon wound up winning by five points.
In 2015, Condon dominated both the primary and the general.
So is there hope for Ben Stuckart, who as of Wednesday night trailed Nadine Woodward by about four points?
Maybe.
The reasons for the comebacks have varied from election to election. Here's how some of the scenarios could play out this year to shake things up in November.
One, voters who chose someone other than Woodward and Stuckart could lean towards Stuckart in the general. That seems unlikely, however, because the biggest block of those voters picked conservative favorite Shawn Poole in the primary.
Two, turnout could increase in a way that favors Stuckart. Only 28 percent of voters participated in the general election, according to county data on Wednesday. If more get involved in November, and those newer voters lean towards Stuckart, he could stage a comeback.
Three, something dramatic could happen that causes voters to change their minds. That could include an influx of fundraising, a candidate gaffe, or a big story or event that helps or hurts one side or the other.
The bottom line: there's a lot of politicking to go between now and when the final decision will be made.
