(The Center Square) – Initial votes show an even split between four Pierce County Council district races with only one race called the morning after Election Day.

In Pierce County Council Districts 2 and 3, incumbent Republican candidates are leading their Democratic opponents.

District 2 Councilor Pablo HerreraHe leads Democratic rival Davida Haygood with 57% of the votes collected as of Wednesday morning. The district includes the cities and towns of Puyallup, Summit View, Edgewood and Pacific.

Fellow Republican Council Member for District 3 Amy Cruz He leads Democratic challenger John M. Linboe with 63.7% of the vote. The district represents the southern portions of Pierce County and includes the cities and towns of Spanaway, Ashford, Eatonville and Graham.

Both Herrera and Cruver are making public safety a top priority in their campaigns. Herrera said it is crucial that the government allocate sufficient resources to public safety measures to create a safer environment.

Cruver wants to allow incarceration as a form of harm reduction to keep communities safe.

Both Republican candidates also support lower taxes to provide financial relief to residents.

The race for District 4 has been called by Democrats. Rosie Ayala obtaining almost 70% of the votes. His opponent, fellow Democrat Rodney Robinson, posted on his campaign’s social media page that he had lost the race.

Ayala, a board member of the American Leadership Forum, has built his platform around building affordable housing, net-zero emissions improvements, and data-driven actions to improve public safety.

Ayala will replace former Pierce County Council President Ryan Mello for the District 4 seat. Mello is running for Pierce County Executive position. Ayala will represent the district that covers downtown Tacoma, Hilltop and University Place.

Finally, the closest race among Pierce County Council districts is District 6, where Democratic incumbent Councilwoman Jani Hitchen leads Republican challenger Loujanna “LJ” Rohrer by about 5% as of Wednesday.

Rohrer trails Hitchen despite being endorsed by District 6 Democratic candidate Danny Hankins.

He primary election Rohrer led all District 6 candidates with 47.2% of the votes collected. Hitchen raised 41.1%.

Rohrer’s campaign prioritized efficiently spending tax dollars on county needs.

The winner of the District 6 seat represents residents of Steilacoom, Lakewood, DuPont and Anderson and McNeil Islands.

Votes are still being counted as of Wednesday night. La Plaza del Centro will continue to follow the results.