Nickels' Job In Jeopardy

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' job is in jeopardy.

Thousands of ballots from Tuesday's top-two primary remain to be counted, but right now Nickels may not advance to the November election.

Cell phone executive Joe Mallahan has a slim lead with 221 votes or 27 percent of the votes, followed by Sierra Club activist Mike McGinn also with 27 percent and Nickels has 25 percent.

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"I think it's just a matter of people feeling insecure right now," Nickels told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. "They're not feeling very secure, and I think that makes them look for people other than the incumbent."

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McGinn hammered away at the mayor's support of a tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Mallahan criticized Nickels for the city's poor response to a snowstorm last December.

He said he believes a barrage of last-minute political attacks backfired on the incumbent.

"I think the mayor's huge slur campaign and the independent PACs' huge spending against me hurt me a little bit, but it hurt Nickels way more, and that's the result he gets," Mallahan said.

"I think voters have signaled already that they want change," McGinn said in a telephone interview outside his campaign party Tuesday night. "They appreciate having a candidate that spoke to them about making smart choices for the future."

McGinn said his campaign had been building momentum so he's hopeful election results posted in coming weeks would match Tuesday's numbers.

"We're in a wait-and-see mode at this point," Nickels spokesman Sandeep Kaushik said Tuesday night. "Obviously the race is far too close to call. We've got a lot of ballots yet to be counted."

He noted that about 455 votes separate Nickels from Mallahan. "It's a very very tight race, and it may be a few days yet before we know the outcome," Kaushik added.

But the Mallahan camp was celebrating Tuesday night.

"We're thrilled," Charla Neuman, a spokeswoman for Mallahan, said after the results were posted. "We're in a packed house of supporters who are ecstatic. ... It's going to keep looking better for us. I think people have given their opinion and made it clear that they're looking for a new kind of leadership."

Nickels has been dogged locally by criticism of the city's response to a December snowstorm that paralyzed Seattle for nearly two weeks. His opponents have challenged sometimes heavy-handed style as too gruff in a city that prizes collaboration and civility.

Nickels has raised $572,000, far more than his opponents, many of whom are political newcomers. And he's gotten key endorsements from labor and civic groups.

Other major opponents include city councilwoman Jan Drago and former Sonics basketball player James Donaldson.

Nickels has supported a $4.2 billion tunnel to replace the waterfront's dilapidated Alaskan Way viaduct, damaged in a 2001 earthquake. McGinn has attacked Nickels relentlessly on the tunnel.

King County officials are expecting a turnout of about 33 percent, or about 350,000 ballots cast. In Seattle, turnout is expected at about 35 percent, or about 130,000 ballots.