Republican-endorsed candidates winning Stevens County commissioner race, with less than half the vote counted

The two candidates who were endorsed by the Stevens County Republican Party for the county’s District 1 commissioner seat were ahead in the primary election Tuesday night after initial results were reported.

Montgomery (Monty) Stobart had 46.4% of the vote, and incumbent Commissioner Wes McCart had 31.6%.

Steven Thompson, also a Republican, had 19.5%.

Less than half of the votes have been counted across the county; 6,566 ballots were tabulated Tuesday night, with an estimated 7,500 remaining.

Only two candidates ran for the District 3 commissioner seat on the north end of the county. Incumbent Greg Young had 81.5% of the vote, and Terrah Hatch had 16.3%. Both Republicans will advance to the general election Nov. 5.

McCart, 64, who is seeking his fourth term, is suing the county and the former prosecutor related to a 2020 case in which he and his fellow commissioners were removed from office after county Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen sued them, accusing them of misspending homeless assistance funds.

A state appellate court later ruled that the commissioners were improperly removed and were acting as a legislative body, so they were not individually liable.

Stobart, 61, served 22 years in the U.S. Army, first in aviation, then retention and recruitment. After that, he owned two small construction and home inspection businesses.