Filing week wraps up: McEntire picks up challenger from own party; Coroner draws opponents
May 8-By the end of candidate filing week in Lewis County, 134 candidates had filed for 91 offices that will impact the area.
Offices up for grabs range from more than 40 precinct committee officer positions to a seat in the U.S. Congress.
By the end of candidate filing at 5 p.m. Friday evening, most of the closely watched races in Lewis County and Thurston County were filled out. Five candidates had filed to run for Lewis County commissioner, four for Lewis County sheriff and three for Lewis County auditor.
In a less expected development, races for Lewis County coroner and District 1 Lewis County Public Utility District commissioner had expanded to three people each. It appears a rematch is in order as two former PUD commissioner candidates from the 2020 race, Steve Grega and former PUD Commissioner Ben Kostick, filed for the seat. Both men are looking to fill the seat currently occupied by Dave Muller, who was chosen to replace former PUD Commissioner Michael Kelly after he was charged with felony bribery last year.
They are joined in the race by Jeff Baine, a former long-time employee of the PUD and the former president of the Lewis County Broadband Action Committee.
Washington state Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, has his work cut out for him after three opponents filed to run against him, including two from his own political party. Nine candidates had filed to run for the job of representing Washington state's Third Congressional District as of midday on Friday.
Second Legislative District State Rep. Matt Marshall, R-Eatonville, and 35th Legislative District state Rep. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, will each face two Democratic challengers.
Four Lewis County officials who all filed early in the week remain unchallenged. Lewis County Assessor Ross Nielson, Lewis County Clerk Scott Tinney, Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Meyer and Lewis County Treasurer Arny Davis will all run unopposed in the primary and presumably in the general election unless a write-in candidate appears.
Sitting Lewis County District Court judges R.W. Buzzard and Wade Samuelson have both filed to retain their seats as of midday Friday and faced no challengers.
Candidate filing closed at 5 p.m. Friday evening and was immediately followed by lot drawing by county staff.
Staff members, under the supervision of Lewis County Auditor Larry Grove, used a bingo roller to select balls numbered one through five in a random order in the Lewis County elections office Friday evening.
The staff pulled balls five, one, three, two, four in that order. The numbers correspond to the order in which candidate field, meaning the candidate who filed fifth will be first on the ballot, the candidate who filed first will be second on the ballot, the candidate who filed third will be third on the ballot and so on.
The order will be used for primary races and in the general election if an office does not require a primary.
Names on the general election ballot for those that advance through the August primary will be listed with the candidate with the most votes appearing first and the runnerup listed second.
For previous reporting by The Chronicle on this year's candidate filing week, visit https://tinyurl.com/rxufhzx3.
Lewis County commissioner
The race for Lewis County District 3 commissioner has filled out largely as expected with one exception. Toledo business owner Kyle Wheeler filed Wednesday afternoon and incumbent Lewis County District 3 Commissioner Scott Brummer filed roughly a day later on Thursday afternoon.
The two joined three others who had already filed. Lewis County PUD Commissioner Michael Hadaller, Lewis County Democrats Chair Zac Eckstein and unexpected candidate and Packwood resident Tim Toerber all filed on Monday.
Lewis County sheriff
Chehalis Police Department Deputy Chief Matt McKnight has filed for sheriff since the last update on the race, joining former Centralia Police Department Sgt. Tracy Murphy, Lewis County Sheriff's Office Special Services Chief Gabriel Frase and Lewis County Sheriff's Office Deputy Danny Riordan.
Former Lewis County Sheriff's Office Deputy and Sgt. Kenneth Cheeseman, who participated in a sheriff's forum event hosted by The Chronicle and filed a financial disclosure with the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission, announced Friday via Facebook that he would no longer run for the position. He also used the post to endorse Frase.
Other county offices
Incumbent Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod will face two opponents this year, with the two challengers filing in the final days of the week. Lewis County Deputy Coroner Chelsie Niemcziek filed to run for the office as an independent around noon on Friday. Jessica Stickley filed as an independent on Thursday morning using a Toledo address.
As previously reported, Kostick, a longtime Lewis County PUD commissioner, filed to take back the seat that he narrowly lost to Kelly in 2020. Grega, who also ran in the 2020 race, has filed to take him on.
Grega lost in the primary election of the 2020 race, and Kostick and Kelly faced off in the general election. Baine also filed Friday afternoon ahead of the 5 p.m. cut off adding another familiar face to the race for the District 1 PUD commissioner seat.
A challenge for McEntire
McEntire already faced two opponents from early in the week and now faces a third. Daniel William Brady filed to run for McEntire's seat on Thursday. According to his filing, he will run as a Republican. He filed with a Chinook, Washington, address.
McEntire is the only state representative across the state's 19th and 20th Legislative Districts to face challengers from within his own party. State Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, from the 19th District and state Reps Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, and Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, from the 20th District are each facing a single Democrat challenger.
Thurston County state reps
Marshall and Democrat challenger Angela Taylor both filed for the position 2 state representative for the state's 2nd Legislative District on Monday. Since then a third candidate, Martin L Miller, filed to run for the seat as a Democrat at around midday Thursday.
In the race for the position 1 state representative seat in the state's 35th Legislative District, Griffey and Democrat challenger Jim Pierson also both filed on Monday. Much like the 2nd District, a third candidate, Shaena Garberich, filed for the race as a Democrat Thursday morning.
The race for Congress
Oyster farmer and official member of the Cascade Party of Washington Antony Barran made his congressional campaign official Thursday afternoon. He was the ninth candidate to join the race.
Two other candidates who have recorded no fundraising or have not filed with the Federal Exchange Commission also joined the race for Congress in the last two days. Washougal-based independent John Saulie-Rohman and Vancouver based Democrat Tray Rasband both filed to run for the congressional seat on Wednesday afternoon.
Across the nine candidates who had filed Friday afternoon, four are Democrats, three are Republicans, one is a member of the Cascade Party of Washington and one registered as an independent.
The seat is held by U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, who faces challenges from Republican state Sen. John Braun, R-Chehalis, and fellow Democrat Brent Hennrich.
For a complete list of candidates who have filed, visit https://voter.votewa.gov/CandidateList.aspx?e=898&c=21.
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