The King County executive is the elected county executive of King County, Washington. The office was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. Previously the powers of the county executive were vested in a three-member county commission, which with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter in 1969 ceased to exist. The county executive is elected every four years and the office is nonpartisan. The first county executive was John Spellman, from 1969 to 1981. The current executive is Dow Constantine, elected to replace Ron Sims since he resigned to become Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration on May 8, 2009.

Elections

Elections for the County Executive have historically taken place in odd-numbered years. However, in 2022, an amendment to the County Charter was passed which would move elections for several county elected offices to even-numbered years. To do so, the 2025 King County Executive election will be for a three year term, instead of the normal four years.

2025 County Executive election

In November of 2024, Constantine announced that he would not seek re-election in 2025, and King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci of Bellevue launched a campaign.

List of executives

Notes