Primary election
In 2003, Reardon won a three-way Democratic Primary election for the Snohomish County executive position. In the primary election, Reardon defeated former Democratic state senator Kevin Quigley. Reardon won the November general election garnering 52 percent of the countywide vote. Reardon positioned himself as a centrist Democrat, campaigning on a platform that called for decreasing taxes while implementing a long-term strategic growth plan specific to Snohomish County.