It was a good night for Bellevue Democrats as early voting gave them leads over their Republican opponents Tuesday night.

As of 10:23 p.m., incumbent Ross Hunter, D-Medina, had a sizable lead in the 48th Legislative District, which includes the northern portion of Bellevue.

With three of 178 precincts counted, Hunter, a Democrat, led Charles Lapp, a Republican, 4,800 votes to 2,212, a 68-32 percent split.

In the 41st Legislative District, which includes the southern portion of Bellevue, Democrat Fred Jarrett was winning a vacant Senate seat over Republican Bob Baker, 6,424 votes to 3,665, a 64-36 percent split. Seventeen of 186 poll precincts had been counted.

In the one contested House race, Democrat Marcie Maxwell was leading Republican Steve Litzow 5,775 to 4,321 votes, a 57-43 percent split.

Democrat Judy Clibborn was running unopposed for the second House seat.

In the Eighth Congressional District race, challenger Darcy Burner took an early lead over incumbent Rep. Dave Reichert. Burner, a Democrat, had 37,869 votes to Reichert’s 34,460, a 52-48 percent split.

“I think I started out this way last time,” Reichert said. “I’m anxiously looking forward to seeing all the ballots.

“I feel very confident that we’re going to hold this seat and that I’ll be returning to represent the people of the 8th District.”

Reichert talked to reporters about what he described as a need for centrist lawmakers in the Federal government after this election.

“I think overall for America it’s important for us to have moderates in Congress,” he said. “I’m a member of the moderate Republicans group and have partnered with moderate Democrats on a number of issues.

“People expect members of Congress to work together, not continually bicker and fight.”

In statewide voting, Bellevue’s Rob McKenna was leading in his bid to for re-election as Attorney General. McKenna, a Republican, had 836,815 votes, or 58 percent, to Democrat John Landenberg’s 599,072, or 42 percent at midnight.

McKenna, speaking around 10:30 p.m., informed supporters that Landenberg had called him to concede defeat.

He also said there is much work to be done in the next four years, and said he would roll out an overhaul domestic-violence sanctions in January, and he promised to take on prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths in the next four years.

“We’re going to get back to work very soon,” McKenna said.

Bellevue’s park levy proposal was leading in early returns. A total of 4,874 voters said yes to the measure while 2,618 voted no. Only two of the city’s 160 precincts had been counted.

In another vote that affected Bellevue, voters were approving expansion of Sound Transit with 66,809 in favor of the move to 40,683 opposed, a 62-38 percent split. If approved, the measure would extend light rail to Bellevue and the Eastside.

The rematch between Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire and her Republican challenger Dino Rossi stood at a 53-47 percent split in favor of the incumbent at midnight.

Washington State Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser told a crowd of supporters that Rossi had no plans of conceding defeat on election night.

“Less than half the ballots have been counted in the state of Washington,” he told The Reporter. “Premature is a general way of describing this race right now.”

Rossi addressed his supporters at the Bellevue Hyatt around 10 p.m., leading 51-48 percent at the time.

“We can be proud of this, win lose or draw,” he said. “We have shaken the Olympia establishment to its core. We’ve seen clearly in the past few weeks that they are terrified – not of me, but of you the voters.”

The governor’s race had flipped before Rossi had time to finish his speech, leaving the Republican at a disadvantaged 51-48 split.

Rossi talked with reporters about the prospect of pulling off a win during a year in which Republicans have lost seats nationwide.

“If we hold onto this, it is truly making history all across the nation,” he said. “There’s only one incumbent Democrat that’s in fear of losing her seat, and that’s Christine Gregoire.”