PORT ORCHARD — Democrats came out in force to support their candidates in Kitsap County’s contested elections Tuesday, and voters chose to support female candidates more than their male counterparts in nearly every race.
District 26
Democrats Emily Randall and Connie FitzPatrick picked up more than 50 percent of the votes in both Kitsap and Pierce counties, putting them in pole position to win the general election this fall.
FitzPatrick, vying for State Representative Position 1, will face Republican incumbent Jesse. L Young, who earned 38.74 percent of the ballots in Kitsap and 41.78 percent in Pierce.
Randall, hoping to to become the district’s next senator, will face conservative talk show host Marty McClendon. McClendon got 46.55 percent of the votes in Pierce County and 42.79 percent in Kitsap.
A request for comment from McClendon was not returned.
Shortly after the primary results were revealed, Randall said she was feeling thrilled.
“My neighbors and hundreds of volunteers have been working really hard over the past few months. I know they have so much more work left in them, and we’re looking forward to seeing even more exciting results in November,” she said.
During the primary campaign, conservative political action committee WA Forward targeted Randall with a series of negative ads. Randall said that strategy probably backfired.
“Talking to our neighbors, we’ve been hearing that this is what people are sick and tired of in politics. They don’t want to hear more attacks. They want to hear solutions,” she said.
Finally, in the race for State Representative Position 2, Democrat Joy Stanford earned the most votes in both counties. She took 43.7 percent and 44.06 percent of the votes in Pierce and Kitsap, respectively. Republican incumbent Michelle Caldier will join her on the general election ballot.
District 35
Kitsap voters preferred the two Democratic candidates for the contested senate primary. Both be moving on to the general election. Voters favored incumbent Tim Sheldon slightly more than Irene Bowling in Kitsap, but voters in both Mason and Thurston counties favored Bowling.
U.S. 6th Congressional District
Kitsap voters heavily favored incumbent Democrat Derek Kilmer, giving him 66.57 percent of the votes. That’s slightly above the 64.2 percent he earned across the entire state. Republican Douglas Dightman also made it to the general election.
U.S. Senate
Democrat Maria Cantwell and Republican Susan Hutchison made it out of a crowded field of candidates. They’ll face off in November. Cantwell was the preferred choice of Kitsap residents, as 55.63 percent voted for her. Hutchison received 24.71 percent of the votes.
Legislative District 23 State Representative Position 1
Completed Precincts: 109 of 109
Vote Count Percentage
Sherry V. Appleton (Prefers Democratic Party) 11,470 63.9%
Becky Erickson (States No Party Preference) 6,406 35.7%
Write-Ins 76 0.4%
Legislative District 23 State Representative Position 2
Completed Precincts: 109 of 109
Vote Count Percentage
Drew Hansen (Prefers Democratic Party) 13,581 97.7%
Write-Ins 325 2.3%
Legislative District 26 State Senator
Completed Precincts: 56 of 56
Vote Count Percentage
Marty McClendon (Prefers Republican Party) 3,978 42.8%
Bill Scheidler (Prefers Independent Party) 517 5.6%
Emily Randall (Prefers Democratic Party) 4,801 51.6%
Write-Ins 1 0.0%
Legislative District 26 State Representative Position 1
Completed Precincts: 56 of 56
Vote Count Percentage
Jesse L. Young (Prefers Republican Party) 3,568 38.7%
Connie FitzPatrick (Prefers Democratic Party) 4,687 50.9%
Naomi Evans (Prefers Republican Party) 954 10.4%
Write-Ins 6 0.1%
Legislative District 26 State Representative Position 2
Completed Precincts: 56 of 56
Vote Count Percentage
Marco Padilla (Prefers People Over Party) 601 6.5%
Randy Boss (Prefers Republican Party) 1,419 15.4%
Joy Stanford (Prefers Democratic Party) 4,069 44.0%
Michelle Caldier (Prefers Republican Party) 3,146 34.0%
Write-Ins 6 0.1%
U.S. 6th Congressional District
Tyler Myles Vega (Prefers Progressive Party) 929 2.9%
Douglas Dightman (Prefers Republican Party) 9,946 30.6%
Derek Kilmer (Prefers Democratic Party) 21,657 66.5%
Write-Ins 11 0.0%
