By Dan Thesman on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022 in Columbia Basin News
WALLA WALLA – Voter turnout in Walla Walla County surpassed 24.49 percent on Election Day, according to the county auditor’s office. Of the 37,200 registered voters in the county, 9,110 returned their ballot by 5 p.m. on Aug. 2. An estimated 4,000 ballots are left to count.
Additional results will be released after the election as more ballots are counted. The next ballot count will be Fri., Aug. 5 at 5 p.m. Primary election results will be certified Aug. 16.
The top two candidates in the primary move on to the November general election.
Here are the races we are tracking in Walla Walla County, listed by candidate, number of votes and vote percentage:
COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 3 (4 year-term)
Darren Z. Goble (Republican) 909 29.07 percent
Gunner Fulmer (Republican) 873 27.92 percent
John C. Haid (Democrat) 738 23.6 percent
Wayne Langford (Republican) 604 19.32 percent
PROSECUTING ATTORNEY (4 year-term)
Gabriel E. Acosta (Republican) 5,357 60.1 percent
Michelle Morales (Democrat) 3,552 39.85 percent
AUDITOR
Karen Martin (R) 6,059 67.93 percent
Marjorie Denton Sanborn (D) 2,858 32.04 percent
The following incumbents ran unopposed: Walla Walla County Clerk Kathy Martin, Walla Walla County Coroner Richard Greenwood, Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider, and Walla Walla County Treasurer Gordon R. Heimbigner.
Chief Deputy Assessor Byron Burres ran unopposed for the seat of Walla Walla County Assessor, which is a 4 year-term.
The next mentioned races were multi-county races. Results are statewide.
In the race for U.S. Senate, Senator Patty Murray seeks her sixth term in a race that has drawn 17 challengers, most notably, Republican veterans advocate and former triage nurse Tiffany Smiley. According to the Washington Secretary of State, Murray leads with 54 percent of the vote. Smiley is the closest to her with 31.96 percent.
For Eastern Washington’s Fifth Congressional District, Republican incumbent Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers leads with 50.81 percent of the vote. That race brought a total of three primary challengers. Natasha Hill, a Democrat, is the closest to her with 30.27 percent.
In the race for Washington Secretary of State, Democrat incumbent Steve Hobbs faced seven primary challengers and leads with 41.2 percent of the vote. Julie Anderson, who currently serves at Pierce County Auditor, is the closest to him with 12.85 percent.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 16, STATE REPRESENTATIVE POS. 1
(2 year-term)
Mark Klicker (Republican) 10,276 65.59 percent
Jeff Strickler (Democrat) 4,857 31 percent
Sharon Kay Schiller 524 3.34 percent
(Peace & Freedom Party)
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 16, STATE REPRESENTATIVE POS. 2
(2 year-term)
Skyler Rude (Republican) 10,686 68.99 percent
Jan Corn (Democrat) 4,794 30.95 percent