Republican Steve O’Ban was leading Eric Choiniere, a Democrat and University Place city councilman, for the open House seat being vacated by Troy Kelley, who filed for state auditor.
Early election returns showed O’Ban had garnered 55 percent of the vote in the district that includes Lakewood and University Place.
The race grew nasty in the closing weeks. O’Ban’s campaign raised question about Choiniere’s financial judgement because he had filed bankruptcy two times and twice faced eviction.
Supporters of Choiniere assailed O’Ban, an attorney known for representing conservative causes, for “extreme” positions on education and access to birth control. Choiniere also slammed O’Ban for posting bankruptcy records online that included his and his wife’s Social Security numbers.
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