Upthegrove advances in WA Commissioner of Public Lands race after statewide recount
Dave Upthegrove will advance to the general election after recounts solidified his second-place standing in the primary race for Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands.
Upthegrove, a Democrat, gained four net votes in the recount and finished with a 396,304 statewide votes, according to certified results from the state’s 39 county.
Meanwhile, Sue Kuehl Pederson, a Republican, gained six net votes to finish with 396,255 votes – 49 votes less than Upthegrove.
Upthegrove, a King County Council member, will now face former U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican who won first place in the primary with 419,297 votes.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called for a hand recount of the votes cast between Upthegrove and Pederson in the Aug. 6 primary race after the final tally showed a difference of just 51 votes between the second- and third-place candidates. Hobbs certified the recount results on Wednesday.
Seven candidates competed in the primary race, including four Democrats and two Republicans. Though Beutler took the lead, about 57% of primary voters chose Democrat candidates while 43% chose the two Republican candidates.
“With this outcome voters now will have a choice between two sharply different visions for the office of Commissioner of Public Lands,” Upthegrove said in a statement released after the vote count was certified.
The largest gains for Upthegrove occurred in the Snohomish County recount where he got five votes, followed by Okanogan County where he got one vote, according to state data.
Upthegrove’s biggest loss happened in King County where he lost four votes, according to King County election results. State data showed all other counties had no change or single vote changes for Upthegrove.
Pederson gained four votes in Island County, two votes in Snohomish County, one vote in Douglas County and one vote in Skagit County, according to state data. However, she also lost one vote in both Chelan and Grays Harbor Counties.
Pierce and Thurston Counties saw no change in their results for Upthegrove and Pederson, state data showed.
Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall said she was very proud of her team after the county certified its portion of the statewide recount on Tuesday.
“I love hand recounts because they validate our tabulation equipment, our processes and our ballot inspection team,” Hall said. “No votes changed between candidates, and we had only one vote change from an undervote to a candidate. One ballot out of 88,000 is pretty impressive.”
Nearly all counties certified their election results by Tuesday. The one exception was King County, which certified its results before noon Wednesday.
The Washington State Republican Party issued a statement after the certification saying the process raised questions about vote curing, undercounts and some counties’ use of “apps.”
“The WAGOP is keeping all options open for responding to today’s certification from the WA Secretary of State,” the statement reads. “The Party may file lawsuits challenging the certification. It may also file lawsuits challenging specific county recounts. Or the Party may focus on improving recount processes, going forward.”
Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, celebrated efforts to cure ballots in a news release. Conrad also called on everyone who voted for a Democratic candidate to unite behind Upthegrove.
“Today we celebrate the Washington Democrats volunteers and the Upthegrove campaign’s efforts to cure ballots, ensuring that every lawfully cast ballot was counted,” Conrad said. “Their efforts ensured that Washington voters will have a candidate in the general election for Public Lands Commissioner who not only believes in human-caused climate, but who will work passionately to restore health and resilience to our state forested lands and iconic waterways.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2024 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Upthegrove advances in WA Commissioner of Public Lands race after statewide recount."
