Two Republicans leading race for state lands commissioner as five Democrats split vote

Early vote counts Tuesday night deemed the race for Washington’s next commissioner of public lands too close to call, with three candidates fighting neck and neck over two spots on the November general election ballot.

Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler pulled 22.6% of the initial vote count, followed by her fellow Republican contender Sue Kuehl Pederson, who picked up 20.2% .

If those results hold, and Herrera Beutler and Kuehl Pederson advance, it would guarantee a rare win for a Republican winning statewide office in Washington.

Five Democrats split the vote for the position. Dave Upthegrove came in close behind the two Republican women with 19.9%.

Regardless of party, the top two candidates in the primary race will advance to the Nov. 5 ballot. This year marks the first time in eight years that the primary election for lands commissioner has no incumbent on the ballot. Seven contenders threw their hats in the ring for the crowded primary.

Herrera Beutler is a former U.S. representative who served for the 3rd Congressional District in southwest Washington from 2011 to 2022. She lost her bid for re-election in 2021, the same year she voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Kuehl Pederson is a retired career scientist and energy professional. A former senior environmental analyst at Seattle City Light, Kuehl Pederson has no previous elected experience. She made an unsuccessful bid for the commissioner of public lands role in 2020, a race in which she garnered more than 1.5 million votes.

The state Commissioner of Public Lands serves a four-year term and oversees Washington’s massive Department of Natural Resources – an agency in charge of nearly 6 million acres of forests, beaches and other public lands. The commissioner also runs all firefighting efforts on state-managed lands.

Insurance commissioner

In another crowded primary contest for state insurance commissioner, two state lawmakers – Democrat Patty Kuderer and Republican Phil Fortunato – will advance to the November general election if vote margins hold.

Tallies showed Kuderer in first place, with 45% of the vote, followed by Fortunato, who earned 28%. Republican Justin Murta took third place Tuesday with 10%.

Kuderer, a state senator from Bellevue, has served in Olympia since 2017. She is running for insurance commissioner to make medicines such as insulin more affordable for Washingtonians to fight hospital and pharmacy mergers in the state.

Fortunato, a state senator from Auburn, has also served as a lawmaker since 2017. The Republican lawmaker believes in a privatized health insurance system and would push against any efforts to fund public health programs.

Lieutenant governor

In the primary race for the state’s lieutenant governor, incumbent Denny Heck, a Democrat, secured an early lead in statewide vote tallies, earning 48%.

Republican Dan Matthews took second place, pulling 23% of the votes . Republican Bob Hagglund came in third with 17% of the statewide votes .

Whoever comes out on top between Matthews and Hagglund will face off with Heck on the November general election ballot.

Washington’s lieutenant governor serves a four-year term takes over the role of acting governor whenever the governor leaves the state or is otherwise unable to do the job. The lieutenant governor is also president of the state Senate and oversees what happens in that legislative body.

Secretary of state

In race for secretary of state, Democratic Incumbent Steve Hobbs will face off against Republican challenger Dale Whitaker.

Tallies showed Hobbs garnered 49% of the vote, followed by Whitaker’s 37%.

Hobbs was elected to the office in 2020 and would serve another four-year term if re-elected.

Whitaker, of Spokane, has not held elected office . He is the previous executive director of We Believe, We Vote, a Spokane-based conservative organization that surveys political candidates about their opinions on social and cultural issues such as Christianity, the Constitution, gay marriage, abortion and the First and Second amendments.