Kilmer, Young, Stanford lead in primary vote

There were few surprises for Peninsula voters in the results of the Aug. 4 primary election, now mostly counted.

Derek Kilmer, the incumbent Gig Harbor Democrat representing the 6th Congressional District, will face Tacoma conservative activist Elizabeth Kreiselmaier in the November general election.

Kilmer drew slightly more than 50 percent of the vote, easily fending off an inter-party challenge from progressive Rebecca Parson, who gained about 16 percent. Kreiselmaier, a Republican, earned slightly over 25 percent.

In the state Legislature, incumbent 26th District Republican Jesse L. Young had a significant lead over Democratic challenger Carrie Hesch. He had about 52 percent of the vote, she 42 percent. They will face off in November.

Drew Darsow, a Western Washington University student and graduate of Gig Harbor High School, managed about 6 percent of the vote as a relative unknown. Darsow ran as a Democrat.

Democrat Joy Stanford of Gig Harbor earned a plurality of votes, 43 percent, for the second spot in the 26th District house. Incumbent Republican Michelle Caldier easily fended off a challenge from her right, besting Republican challenger Alisha Beeler, 41 percent to 16 percent.

In a countywide race of interest to Peninsula voters, former Democratic state representative Larry Seaquest of Gig Harbor was trailing Bruce Dammeier, the incumbent Republican Pierce County executive, 44 to 56 percent. They are headed for a rematch in November.

Drama across the bridge

In nearby state legislative districts, there were some more dramatic results.

Democratic candidate T’wina Nobles held a slim lead over Republican incumbent Steve O’Ban in the race for state senator in the 28th Legislative District in Pierce County, a seat that’s been held by Republicans for years.

Primary election results released Saturday showed Nobles had 50 percent of the vote, while state Sen. Steve O’Ban had 49.7 percent. They’re separated by 193 votes. Both will face off again in the general election in November.

The 28th Legislative District, which represents Lakewood, University Place, DuPont and parts of Tacoma, had a 50 percent turnout as of Saturday, with only a few precincts left to count.

Voters in the district have historically elected Republicans, with the seats holding red even in the primaries.

What changed?

Suburbs moved left

Nic Van Putten, political consultant with Progressive Strategies NW, said that nationally, urban/suburban areas similar to Lakewood have seen a shift.

“More urban districts are moving left, more rural districts are moving right,” he said. “Traditionally, swing areas that are more urban or suburban — have moved very markedly to the left for Democrats.”

Republican political consultant Alex Hays said the race for Congressional District 10, with former Tacoma mayor Marilyn Strickland and fellow Democrat Beth Doglio vying for the lead, brought out the Democratic vote.

“This is, I think, the big driver here — you have a massive campaign at the federal level and a ‘get-out-the-vote’ campaign,” he said.

Republican voters will likely show more turnout in November, Hays added, considering other measures and seats that will be up for grabs on the ballot.

If elected in November, Nobles, a University Place school board member, could become the only Black member of the state Senate and the first in a decade, Crosscut’s Melissa Santos reported.

10th Congressional District

Results in the 10th Congressional District, which includes Pierce and part of Thurston counties, set up a Democratic battle between former Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, who subsequently served as the CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and state Rep. Beth Doglio from Olympia. The two Democrats will face off because, under state election rules, the top two candidates advance to the general election, regardless of party.

Former State Rep. Kristine Reeves conceded on Friday night, as results showed her in third place.

The updated results show Strickland with 21 percent of the votes in the district that covers parts of Thurston, Pierce and Mason counties, and Doglio with 14.5 percent. Reeves had 13 percent.

The race to fill outgoing U.S. Rep. Denny Heck’s open seat drew a crowded field of 19 candidates.

State offices

On the state level, Loren Culp, police chief of the Eastern Washington town of Republic, emerged from a crowded field as the Republican challenger to Gov. Jay Inslee. Culp had 17 percent of the vote, Inslee 50 percent. Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman was among the also-rans, with 6.6 percent.

U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, who is leaving congress to run for Lieutenant Governor, led the pack in thaqt race with 25 percent of the vote. He will face a fellow Democrat, Marko Liias, who earned 18 percent. Republican Ann Davison Sattler was third with 12 percent.

Incumbent Repubican Kim Wyman will face Democrat Gael Tarleton for Secretary of State. Wyman had 51 percent of the vote, Tarleton 43 percent.

Bob Ferguson, the Democratic incumbent attorney general, will face a challenge from Republican Matt Larkin. Ferguson had 56 percent of the vote, Larkin 24 percent.

Allison Needles of The News Tribune and Brandon Block of The Olympian contributed to this story.

This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 9:00 PM.