Spokane County District Court, Position 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick T. Johnson | 24,187 | 39.97% |
| Randy A. Brandt | 21,946 | 36.27% |
| Lynden P. Smithson | 14,382 | 23.77% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
The Candidates
Patrick T. Johnson
- Age:
- 56
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Political experience: First run for office.
Work experience: An attorney with the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office since 1998, first on misdemeanor cases, then as a felony prosecutor. For last 17 years has defended active duty military members as a major in the U.S. Army Reserves Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Served four years of military experience after enlisting in 1988 as a psychological operations specialist in the U.S. Army until 1992.
Education: Graduated from Phoenix High School in Medford, Oregon in 1987. Earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from CEntral Washington University in 1994 after taking a short break to join the military. Gradated from Gonzaga School of Law with honors in 1998.
Family: Married. Has three children.
Randy A. Brandt
- Age:
- 73
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Political experience: Appointed judge of Spokane County District Court in 2011. Elected to the position without opposition in 2012. Served until 2014, when he lost election bid to retain the position.
Work experience: Opened his own private practice in 1993 and began serving as a pro-tem judge on the Spokane County District Court. In 2003, became a district court commissioner, and from 2010 to 2011, an administrative law judge. Served as district court judge from 2011 to 2014 after appointed to bench by the Spokane County Commission. Operated his own law office from 1988 until appointed a court commissioner. Worked as a real estate broker in the 1970s and 1980s. Worked as funeral director at Ball & Dodd for about two years in the 1970s.
Education: Graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1969. Graduated Gonzaga University in 1974 and then Gonzaga School of Law in 1988.
Family: Unmarried, no children.
Lynden P. Smithson
- Age:
- 52
Political experience: First run for office.
Work experience: Works as an assistant Spokane city prosecutor in charge of the domestic violence unit. Has spent 15 years as a city prosecutor. Before working for the city, was an associate attorney at the civil litigation firm Miller, Devlin, McLean and Weaver, where he handled mostly employment law and insurance defenses.
Education: Graduated from Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma in 1990. Graduated from University of Washington in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Graduated from Gonzaga School of Law in 1998.
Family: Married. Has three children.
Complete Coverage
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Randy Brandt, Patrick Johnson, Lynden Smithson vie for open district court seat
Judge Vance Peterson’s planned retirement at the end of the year has drawn three challengers vying to become Spokane County’s newest district court judge. All three have lived in Spokane for decades, some born and raised. All three graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law and spent years working as attorneys. Where they diverge is the experience – particularly, whether they’ve already donned the black robes.
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