Currently she is 3.62 points ahead of Orion with nearly 52 percent of the vote.

Kshama Sawant has increased her lead in her race against Egan Orion Friday night after another ballot count was released by King County Elections.

Original story:

On Election Night, the news was that Kshama Sawant, the Seattle socialist council member who refuses to pander, was eight points behind in District 3.

And that Andrew Lewis, in District 7, downtown and Queen Anne, was behind.

And that Referendum 88, which would reinstate affirmative action to Washington state, was behind.

But there was hope, the super left said! Only half the ballots had been counted.

Sure, said everyone else. Maybe.

Former Mayor Mike McGinn wrote by email that he believed Sawant would win. “She is down eight (points) tonight,” he said on Election Night. “She was down nine in 2013 and came back.”

Ben Anderstone of Progressive Strategies Northwest said same.

“It’s worth keeping in mind that in Seattle about two days after the election the ballots that get counted start becoming progressively more liberal,” he said.

[Read what Egan Orion said on Election Night about getting so much special interest money.]

They were right. Because here we are, Friday afternoon after the latest ballot drop, and Kshama Sawant is ahead.

And Andrew Lewis has widened his lead on former police chief Jim Pugel — 4.6 percent.