Candidates clinch wins in close Spokane County legislative races

Leaders in three nail-bitingly close Spokane-area legislative races have clinched wins in their respective primary elections, as the steady stream of newly tallied ballots has all but dried up after Monday’s release by county elections officials.

With an estimated 140 ballots uncounted in the entirety of Spokane County, and even fewer in a specific legislative district, it is mathematically unlikely for any of the candidates in third place to make up the difference. No race is currently close enough to trigger a recount.

Results for the primary election, which ended Aug. 6, will be certified Aug. 20.

3rd Legislative District – State Representative Pos. 1

Insurance professional Tony Kiepe, a Republican, will face off against Spokane attorney Natasha Hill, a Democrat. They received 35.5% and 32.5% of the vote, respectively.

Former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, also a Democrat, earned 31.8% of the vote. He trails Hill by 245 votes and conceded the race Friday, though at the time enough votes remained to be counted that The Spokesman-Review did not officially call the close three-way race.

In a brief interview, Hill said she was proud of the hard work of her campaign and the direction Spokane is headed as a community. The closeness of her race, she added, emphasizes the importance of voting and engaging in elections.

“I definitely want to keep the focus on getting out the vote, especially getting young people to vote and lifting up other Democrats on the ballot,” Hill said.

Kiepe noted that he was ready to try to appeal to Democratic voters to cross the aisle and vote for a Republican. Between Hill and Stuckart, Democrats collectively received over 64% of the vote.

“I’ve got to get a lot of Democrat votes in the general to win, and I’m going to be the voice of sensibility where I’m able to speak to both sides of the party to win this race,” he said.

4th Legislative District – Senate

In the Spokane Valley race to represent the area in the state Senate, law student and U.S. Army veteran Miguel Valencia, a Democrat, will face off against Republican state Rep. Leonard Christian. As of Monday, they have 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 still hopes that enough late votes will break in his favor to trigger an automatic recount, which are historically unlikely to change the outcome. He added that he appreciated the hard work of his campaign volunteers and was disappointed that he couldn’t reward their work with victory.

In a brief interview, Christian thanked voters for their support and said he was looking forward to earning their vote in November. For his part, Valencia said he believed his pro-labor message resonated with district voters and took his victory as a sign that those voters were ready to elect a “representative for the working class.”

While he received more votes than any other candidate in the six-person primary, Valencia has a steep hill to climb to win the general election. Democrats collectively received under 33% of the vote, with the rest going to four Republicans, of whom Christian took the most.

4th Legislative District – State Representative Pos. 2

Former Spokane County Treasurer and state Legislator Rob Chase, a Republican, will face longtime Kaiser Aluminum employee and union advocate 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. She trailed Cummings by 481 votes.

In a brief interview, Cummings said he was disappointed that his initial slight lead over Chase had eroded with late ballot drops, but that he was looking forward to the election ahead and the opportunity to contrast himself with Chase.

Chase said he hopes voters will send him back to Olympia, and that he expected a tough election ahead against Cummings, who he called “a real warrior for the Democrats.”

Chase is statistically the clear favorite to win the contest, however. Republicans collectively earned over 67% of the primary vote.