For the fifth time during mayor Ed Murray’s tenure, Seattle voted for yet another big tax increase. Voters were approving the $290 million property tax housing levy—doubling the previous one—67.9 percent to 28 percent last night. And as later votes traditionally trend left, that lopsided margin in favor of spending on a top progressive priority will likely grow.

As opposed to when former Mayor Greg Nickels claimed victory each time voters passed levies under his watch (six over eight years versus five, so far, in just three years for Murray), Murray’s winning ballot tally, which also includes two giant transportation measures, seems more worthy of bragging rights.

The wins are more explicitly tied to his urbanist agenda of managing growth, upzoning, and scaling back the power of  traditional district councils. (The other two Murray-era funding measures—parks and pre-K—seem a bit more random and do-gooder-y like Nickels’s lifts, though parks is certainly an urbanist item.)

Last night’s city results—voters also crushed a weirdo measure to replace the Viaduct, a pseudo-populist attempt to undermine the city’s Waterfront redesign, 80 to 20 (19.4, actually)—bode well for another piece of Murray’s agenda, ST3, the $54 billion light rail measure that’s on the ballot in November. Murray, a Sound Transit board member, has been stumping for months on ST3.

Progressive state senator Pramila Jayapal emerged as the strong frontrunner in the race to replace retiring U.S. representative Jim McDermott in Seattle’s 7^th U.S. Congressional District. Jayapal, the founder and former longtime head of immigrants' civil rights group OneAmerica, scored an impressive and commanding 38 percent in the crowded field. Her two main challengers, King County Council member Joe McDermott (no relation) and state representative Brady Walkinshaw (D-43, Capitol Hill) were separated by just 586 votes, with McDermott in the lead.

With later votes traditionally trending more left, Walkinshaw, the younger and (despite the Seattle Times endorsement) the candidate with a more progressive base, has a strong shot at overtaking Joe McDermott to face Jayapal in November.

The three candidates seemed to divvy up the progressive agenda item bumper stickers: Jayapal ran on $15 and immigration reform, McDermott ran on gun control and repealing Citizens United, and Walkinshaw ran on a carbon tax. But the real difference seemed to be money and TV ads. Jayapal led on both fronts (she raised $1.2 million, besting Walkinshaw by $400,000 and McDermott by $600,000), and seems poised to be the next U.S. rep.

Or perhaps there’s another difference. And one that should surprise pundits. Jayapal ran to the left, touting her Bernie Sanders endorsement. Conventional wisdom had it that she was overreaching in a district that insiders believe is more conservative than people realize. Judging from Jayapal’s big numbers (in a sleepy August primary when super liberal voters aren’t traditionally out in force), Jayapal clobbered the competition.

In other local election news: homeless advocate Nicole Macri scored a decisive first place win in the 43rd state legislative district house race, getting nearly 50 percent of the vote in an eight-person field. Moreover, she beat out the top fundraiser, attorney Daniel Shih; Shih raised a startling $154,000 to Macri’s solid $98,000. Shih, who had broad support among the Asian-American community, came in a distant second, getting 26 percent. The pair will face off in November, advantage Macri.

Macri, the only woman in the crowded race, consolidated the progressive vote when the potentially  first trans state representative Danni Askini dropped out of the race earlier this summer. Askini, along with most progressives and the outgoing progressive incumbent Walkinshaw, endorsed Macri. Macri, a lesbian and staffer at homeless advocacy group the Downtown Emergency Services Center, seemed right in the zeitgeist (other progressives in the race were stressing their environmental and labor cred) as voters went all in on the housing levy.

With four seats in play to decide the fate of the state senate, where Republicans are currently in control 26-23, the Democrats just need to knock out two incumbents in November to flip the advantage their way; they also need to hold one of those seats. Last night boded well for them on potential pickups. They were winning outright in one of the seats they need to flip—Democrat Tim Probst was beating Republican Lynda Wilson by about 200 votes in Vancouver’s 17^th Legislative District. And they were threatening in the eastside Seattle suburbs in the 41^st Legislative District where longtime Republican incumbent Steve Litzow was leading by just 800 votes.

Republicans could cheer the results in another one of the key senate races where Democrats hoped to pick off a seat, though: Incumbent Steve O’Ban was well ahead of the Democratic challenger Marisa Peloquin in Tacoma’s 28^th Legislative District.

As for the seat the Democrats needed to hold in exurban Seattle’s 5^th Legislative District, incumbent Mark Mullett was just barely holding on against the Republican challenger, state representative Chad Magendanz … by 40 votes.

Other results: Democratic incumbent governor Jay Inslee had a comfortable 48.5 percent showing over former port commissioner, Republican challenger Bill Bryant, who emerged with Inslee in the top-two primary contest with 38 percent; Blind, Persian American state senator Cyrus Habib (D-45, Kirkland) topped two other Democratic state senators in the race for lieutenant governor and will face Republican Marty McClendon in the the general; former Seattle City Council member Tina Podlodowski had a strong showing against Republican incumbent secretary of state Kim Wyman, getting 46 percent to Wyman’s 48 percent, and the pair will face off in November; two Republicans came out ahead in the top-two primary in the state treasurer race where another Democratic state senator, Marko Liias (D-21, Edmonds) came in fourth place; Republican state senator Mark Miloscia led the way in the state auditor’s race and will face off against Democrat Pat McCarthy in November; kinetic Futurewise director Hilary Franz startled the Democratic establishment (beating out King County council Democrat Dave Upthegrove) in the public lands commissioner race and will face hard right Republican Steve McLaughlin who came in first with an impressive 39 percent in the crowded field to Franz’s second place 21 percent; and assistant state superintendent Erin Jones and Democratic state representative Chris Reykdal emerged as the top two in the race for superintendent of public instruction, with former teacher Jones in the slight lead.

As expected, incumbent powerhouse U.S. senator Patty Murray got 53 percent (in a 17-person field) besting Republican hopeful Chris Vance who got just 28 percent for second place.