House Pos. 2
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter Abell (R) | 15,749 | 34.86% |
| Paul “Rocky” Dean (D) | 12,277 | 27.18% |
| Pat Bell (R) | 10,967 | 24.28% |
| Ronald McCoy (R) | 6,179 | 13.68% |
* 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.
About the Race
The Candidates
Hunter Abell
- Party:
- Republican
- City:
- Colville, Washington
Education: Earned a bachelor’s from the College of William and & Mary in 2002. Received his law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2005, and went on to receive a master of law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2006.
Work experience: Served in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, and is a commander in the United States Navy Reserve. Abell is also an attorney with the Spokane office of Williams Kastner & Gibbs, PLLC.
Political experience: Sworn in as the president of Washington State Bar Association in 2023. Previously served as a judge on the Ferry County District Court.
Family: Single, divorced. Has two daughters, ages 9 and 11.
Campaign finance: Has raised more than $56,000, including more than $6,600 in loans, as of Oct. 2, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission. Contributors include the Washington Affordable House Council, Steven County Republican Central Committee, Avista Corp., and the Build East Political Action Committee of the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors.
Paul "Rocky" Dean
- Party:
- Democratic
- City:
- Springdale, Washington
Education: Graduated high school in Hemet, California. Completed a year of college at Mt. San Jacinto College in California.
Work experience: Served 25 years in the military, with numerous tours in Europe.
Political experience: Has served on the Springdale Town Council since 2020. Previously served on the utility committee and the planning commission in Springdale.
Family: Married. Has four children.
Campaign finance: Has raised more than $34,000, including nearly $6,500 in loans, as of Oct. 2, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Contributors include: Pend Oreille County Democrats, Stevens County Democrats, Washington Machinists Council and several other Democratic groups.
Pat Bell
- Party:
- Republican
- City:
- Nine Mile Falls, Washington
Education: Graduated from Stanwood (Washington) High School in 2001. Earned a bachelor’s in political science from Pacific Lutheran University in 2005 and master’s in public administration from Seattle University in 2009. U.S. Fulbright fellow in 2008.
Work experience: 20 years experience in communication and public policy. Communications director for Spokane County. Served eight years as senior staff to Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Worked for four years as an analyst in consumer protection in Tacoma.
Political experience: Served in congressional office as an assistant for Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
Family: Married to Resa Bell. Has two school-age children.
Ronald McCoy
- Party:
- Republican
- City:
- Chewelah, Washington
Education: Graduated from Medical Lake High School. Received GED from Bremerton Community College, and associate degree from Spokane Community College in legal administration.
Work experience: Served in numerous leadership roles within the Navy over the course of 20 years, with four and a half of those 4½ years serving actively. Previously worked for the Rural Resource Board of Directors and has previously served on the Association of Washington Cities board of directors. Appointed by Gov. Gary Locke in 2001 to serve on the State Building Code Council, where he served for one year.
Political experience: Served as Chewelah (Washington) mayor from 1998 to 2002. Previously ran for state Legislature as a Democrat around 20 years ago. Serves on the Chewelah City Council.
Family: Married to his wife of 46 years, and they have adopted and raised six children.
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