Today's Winner: Bruce Hilyer

Progressive state Supreme Court Position 9 candidate Bruce Hilyer, who ended election night in third place with 25.6 percent of the vote to conservative Richard Sanders' 27.5 percent, gained ground in today's results.  He pulled up to  26.3 percent of the vote to Sander's 27.2 percent. Sheryl McCloud is in the lead, with 30.85 percent of the vote.

Along with Hilyer, Sanders,  a former Supreme Court justice who was booted from office in 2010, is seeking the open seat being vacated by retiring Justice Tom Chambers.

Because only about 40,000 King County votes dropped today, the upward trend is good news for Hilyer, a King County Superior Court judge who is currently leading in the liberal county by 40.8 percent to Sanders' 20.8 percent and McCloud's 26.12.

Assuming the trend continues, Hilyer appears to be on track to push past Sanders and oppose McCloud in the general election in November.