King County Executive

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.^[1] 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.

King County Executive
Incumbent Shannon Braddock since April 1, 2025
Appointer	Electorate Metropolitan King County Council (unexpired terms)
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	John Spellman
Formation	November 5, 1968 (charter approved) May 1, 1969 (charter took effect)
Salary	$248,148 (2021)
Website	King County Executive

The first county executive was John Spellman, from 1969 to 1981. The current executive is Shannon Braddock, who was appointed as interim executive on April 1, 2025, following the resignation of Dow Constantine to become CEO of Sound Transit.^[2]

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 election will be for a three year term, instead of the normal four years.^[3]

List of executives

Order	King County Executive		Party[a]	Took office	Left office	Terms	Notes
1		John Spellman	Republican	May 1, 1969	January 14, 1981	3+	Resigned to serve as Governor of Washington
2		Ron Dunlap	Republican	January 14, 1981[b]	November 18, 1981	<1
3		Randy Revelle	Democratic	November 18, 1981	January 1, 1986	1
4		Tim Hill	Republican	January 1, 1986	January 4, 1994	2
5		Gary Locke	Democratic	January 4, 1994	January 15, 1997	<1	Resigned to serve as Governor of Washington
6		Ron Sims	Democratic	January 15, 1997[b][c]	May 8, 2009	2+	Resigned to serve as Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
7		Kurt Triplett	Democratic	May 8, 2009[b]	November 24, 2009	<1
8		Dow Constantine	Democratic	November 24, 2009	March 31, 2025	4	Resigned to serve as CEO of Sound Transit.[4]
9		Shannon Braddock		April 1, 2025[d]	Incumbent	<1

Notes

1. The office of King County Executive is elected on a non-partisan basis, the following is for informational purposes only.
2. Appointed to serve out remainder of term
3. Subsequently elected to full four-year term
4. Appointed as interim executive and awaiting confirmation as acting executive.

See also

• Pierce County Executive
• Snohomish County Executive
• Whatcom County Executive