Election 2016: Democrats lead in key primary races

Published 9:31 am Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman is making a strong case for his bid for a state representative seat while Kevin Van De Wege is making a strong showing to succeed Sen. Jim Hargrove after the first round of ballots were counted in local and state primary election results Tuesday, Aug. 2, and subsequent counts on Aug. 5 and Aug. 9.

Chapman, a Democrat, garnered 16,414 votes (46.4 percent) in the multi-county representative race and looks to go up against George Vrable, a Republican, who earned 13,142 votes or 37.2 percent.

Van De Wege, a Democrat holding the state representative spot, leads Republican Danille Turissini handily both overall (61-39) and in Clallam County (57-43).

In the race for County Commissioner Position 2, Democrat Ron Richards leads with 1,220 votes (37.8 percent) while Randy Johnson (no party preference) has a slight lead over Republican Gabe Rygaard (25.7-22.5) for the second spot heading into November’s general election.

Incumbent Steve Tharinger, a Democrat, looks like a good bet to hold on to his state representative spot for the 24th Legislative District in November. In the primary election, Tharinger earned more than 61 percent of the votes in the multi-county race over GOP/Independent John D. Alger, with both advancing to the general election.

In the area’s Congressional race, Democrat Derek Kilmer holds a strong lead in his reelection bid for District 6’s U.S. Representative with 58.4 percent of the votes, while Todd A. Bloom, a Republican, is in second with about 24.5 percent of the region’s votes. Kilmer, a Port Angeles native, earned spots on about 55 percent of Clallam County residents’ ballots.

In Washington’s top-two primary, the two candidates who receive the most primary election votes advance to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation.

U.S. Senator, Washington state races

Looking to retain her U.S. Senate seat, Democrat Patty Murray has more than 53 percent of the 1.3 million votes cast statewide, with Republican Chris Vance second with 27.7 percent of ballots.

In statewide races, incumbent Democrat Jay Inslee and Republican challenger Bill Bryant are headed for a showdown in the general election. Inslee has about 49.2 percent of statewide ballots, Bryant with 38.5. Inslee had less than a six-point advantage from Clallam voters (45.7-40.1).

The race for the top two spots for Lieutenant Governor is murkier, with Democrat Cyrus Habib leading a pack of challengers with 22 percent of the vote and Republican Marty McClendon with 19.3 percent. Democrats Karen Fraser and Steve Hobbs both have more than 15 percent of the ballots.

Republican incumbent Kim Wyman holds a slight lead over Democrat challenger Tina Podlodowski, 48.1 to 46, and both look to advance to the general election.

Duane Davidson (25.2 percent) holds a slight lead over fellow Republican Michael Waite (23.4) for state treasurer.

Republican Mark Miloscia and Democrat Pat (Patrice) McCarthy look to advance in the state auditor race in November, with Miloscia getting 36.9 percent of ballots to McCarthy’s 29.2.

Democrat incumbent Bob Ferguson holds a commanding lead over Libertarian challenger Joshua B. Trumbull (72.6-27.4) for state attorney general.

In the race for Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands, Republican Steve McLaughlin leads all challengers with 38.2 percent of ballots cast, with Democrat challenger Hilary Franz garnering about 22.6 percent of the vote to place second.

Vying to replace outgoing Randy Dorn as Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Erin Jones (25.5 percent) and Chris Reykdal (21) hold the top two spots.

Democrat incumbent Mike Kreidler leads in the state insurance commissioner race with 58.3 percent of ballots. Republican Richard Schrock (34.3) is second.

Barbara Madsen holds a large lead in the Supreme Court Justice Position 5 race with 63.9 percent of the vote and Greg Zempel coming in second (29.8).

See results at clallam.net/elections.

How do I register to vote?

In the United States, voter registration is the responsibility of the people and only 70 percent of Americans who are eligible to vote have registered. In Washington, you can register three ways, online, by mail or in person.

For the Nov. 8 general election, voters have until Oct. 10 to register online or by mail and until Oct. 31 to register in person. To register online, you will need a current Washington ID card or driver license.

You can register online from the Clallam County Auditor’s page or there are a number of websites that you also can register at such as the Washington State Secretary of State site at www.sos.wa.gov/.

Just click on the register to vote link on the right side of the home page.

To register by mail or in person, contact your county elections department, in Clallam County:

Clallam County

223 E. Fourth St. Ste. 1

Port Angeles, WA 98362-3026

Phone: 360-417-2221

Fax: 360-417-2312

Email: auditor@co.clallam.wa.us

Website: http://wei.sos.wa.gov/county/clallam/