Local News

The Seattle Times political team explores national, state and local politics.

Only about a half-dozen people are left at the Election Night party for Reject R-74, the same-sex marriage measure. The mood had steadily grown quieter and more subdued as the night wore on, and it became apparent that the reject side was not going to take the lead for the night.

The signs and banners have been taken down and the food put away.

“I’m a little bit surprised” by the vote, said Judy Fenton of Seattle, who had volunteered for the Reject R-74 campaign, making phone calls, waving signs and distributing literature. “I guess I was hoping that people would think more independently of the commercials they’ve seen (in support of same-sex marriage), because there’ve been a lot.

“I do feel like it’s going to be a monumental shift in our culture,” Fenton added.

Chris Plante, deputy campaign manager for the Reject R-74 campaign, said, “We’re not conceding anything.” But Plante acknowledged that “realistically, something’s going to have to change in our favor. … We’ll have to see how things go.”