The frontrunners in three nail-biting Spokane-area legislative primaries have won their respective primaries, while the steady flow of recounted ballots has all but dried up after county election officials released results Monday.
With an estimated 140 votes uncounted across Spokane County and even fewer in one particular precinct, it is mathematically unlikely that any of the third-place candidates can make up the difference. No race is currently close enough to warrant a recount.
The results of the primaries, which ended on August 6, will be confirmed on August 20.
3rd Legislative District – State Representative Position 1
Republican insurance expert Tony Kiepe is running against Democratic attorney Natasha Hill of Spokane. They received 35.5% and 32.5% of the vote, respectively.
Former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, also a Democrat, received 31.8% of the vote. He trails Hill by 245 votes and conceded defeat on Friday, although there were still enough votes to be counted at the time that The Spokesman-Review did not officially call the close three-way race.
In a brief interview, Hill said she was proud of her campaign’s hard work and the direction Spokane is heading as a community. The close outcome of her race, she added, underscores the importance of voting and participating in elections.
“I definitely want to focus on getting voters to the polls, especially young people to vote, and supporting other Democrats in voting,” Hill said.
Kiepe noted that he was willing to persuade Democratic voters to switch parties and vote for a Republican. Together, Democrats Hill and Stuckart received over 64% of the vote.
“To win, I need to get a lot of Democratic votes in the primary, and to win this race, I’m going to be the voice of reason and be able to speak to both sides of the party,” he said.
4th Legislative District – Senate
In the race to represent Spokane Valley in the Senate, Democratic law student and U.S. Army veteran Miguel Valencia will face Republican Rep. Leonard Christian. As of Monday, they received 22.1% and 21.5% of the vote, respectively. Republican Valley businessman Mike Kelly trails Christian with 20.1% of the vote, separated by 207 votes.
Kelly is still hoping enough votes will go in his favor to trigger an automatic recount, which is historically unlikely to change the outcome. He added that he appreciates the hard work of his campaign aides and is disappointed that he cannot reward their work with a victory.
In a brief interview, Christian thanked voters for their support and said he looked forward to winning their vote in November. For his part, Valencia said he believed his pro-worker message had resonated with the district’s voters and viewed his victory as a sign that those voters were ready to elect a “working-class representative.”
Despite receiving more votes than any other candidate in the six-candidate primary, Valencia faces an uphill battle to win the general election. Democrats received less than 33% of the vote overall, with the rest going to four Republicans, of whom Christian received the most votes.
4th Legislative District – State Representative Position 2
Former Spokane County Treasurer and State Representative Rob Chase, a Republican, will face longtime Kaiser Aluminum employee and union official Ted Cummings, a Democrat, in the November general election.
Chase received 24.4% of the vote, while Cummings had 24%.
Former Spokane Valley City Councilwoman Brandi Peetz, also a Republican, came in third with 22.9% of the vote, 481 votes behind Cummings.
In a brief interview, Cummings said he was disappointed that his initial narrow lead over Chase was wiped out by last-minute voting, but he was looking forward to the upcoming election and the opportunity to compare himself to Chase.
Chase said he hoped voters would send him back to Olympia and he expected a tough campaign against Cummings, whom he called a “true fighter for the Democrats.”
Statistically, however, Chase is the clear favorite. The Republicans received over 67% of the vote in the primaries.
