POULSBO – Prosecuting Attorney Russ Hauge and criminal defense attorney Tina Robinson are the apparent top vote-getters in the Aug. 5 primary and advance to the general election in the race for Kitsap County prosecuting attorney.
And in Bremerton, residents voted 3,211 to 1,036 to continue for six years a property tax levy of up to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation to support EMS service.
According to the Kitsap County Auditor Elections Office website, 154,069 ballots were mailed out; 41,080 were received as of election night, for a turnout thus far of 26.7 percent. The elections office reported 198 precincts counted of 209, so the turnout – and, in one race, the final result – could change.
As of 8:10 p.m., Hauge had 15,187 votes to Robinson’s 12,979. In Washington’s primary system, the top two vote-getters regardless of party advance to the general election. Hauge is a Democrat, Robinson is a Republican.
Former Bainbridge Island City Council member Bob Scales, a Democrat, received 6,042 votes. Independent Bruce Danielson, a lawyer and arbitrator, received 5,428.
Republican Phil Cook, a residential mortgage lender, and Democrat Paul Andrews, a data analyst for Kitsap County and former project manager for Pierce County Assessor’s Office, held narrow leads in the race for Kitsap County assessor.
As of 8:10 p.m., Cook had 12,208 votes, Andrews had 10,036. Democrat Garry Sobeck, who worked for 15 years as a property tax appraiser for San Diego County, had 9,392. With ballots counted from only 198 of 209 precincts, the race between Sobeck and Andrews may not be over.
Republican W. Sean Smith, a mortgage banker, finished fourth with 6,820 votes.
Democrat Derek Kilmer and Republican Marty McClendon advanced in the race for 6th Congressional District representative. As of 8:10 p.m., Kilmer led with 23,908 votes, followed by McClendon, 14,422; W. “Graybeard” McPherson, no party preference, 1,259; and Douglas Milholland, Green, 950.
Kilmer, a former state senator and management consultant, is seeking a second term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. He voted for the No Budget, No Pay law, which suspended the debt ceiling but also placed temporary restrictions on congressional salaries. He returned his salary during the government shutdown.
Kilmer introduced legislation to improve training opportunities for workers and to help veterans enter the civilian workforce, and he advocated for Naval Base Kitsap and Joint Base Lewis McChord. He’s a member of a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans committed to set aside partisan bickering.
McClendon, a real estate broker and former pastor, said he wants to ensure veterans are taken care of, that government is more transparent and accountable, and help create “good jobs” by “reducing job-killing regulations.”
McPherson, a former medical equipment installer who drove to New Orleans in his pickup to help out after Hurricane Katrina, advocated for campaign finance reform and the creation of a Department of Peace.
Milholland is co-owner of a construction company and, as an elected freeholder, helped write Jefferson County’s charter. He wants to amend the Constitution to clarify “that corporations are not entitled to human rights and don’t have unlimited campaign spending limits.” He wants federal regulatory agencies to stop the pollution that is contributing to climate change, and he wants genetically modified foods to be labeled. He wants nuclear reactors at home and abroad shut down, saying the U.S. and other nations can’t afford the clean-up.
