Gluesenkamp Perez leads Kent in 3rd Congressional District after first ballot returns

Washingtonians may not know for a few days exactly how every race in the Nov. 8 midterm election turned out thanks to the state’s rule allowing ballots to be postmarked by – instead of turned in by, as is the rule in many other vote-by-mail states – Election Day. 

After the first round of ballot counting, Democratic Congressional candidate Marie Gluesenkamp Perez led Republican Joe Kent for Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler’s seat in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.

• Republican incumbent Rep. Paul Harris was holding on to his 17th Legislative District, Position 2 seat, and beating his Democratic opponent Joe Kear 52.52% to 47.37%.
  
• Candidates for the 17th Legislative District’s Position 1 seat — Democratic candidate Terri Niles and Republican Kevin Waters — were within 2 percentage points of one another, with Waters, of Skamania County, leading Niles 50.87% to 49.02% across the district.
• Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey appears to have won his reelection, and was leading his challenger, Brett Simpson, 71.71% to 27.97% on Election Day. 
• Incumbent Clark Public Utility District No. 2 Commissioner Nancy Barnes also took a definitive lead on Election Day and was winning her reelection over challenger Don Steinke by 65.83% to 33.77%, with a lead of more than 33,000 votes, as of Tuesday, Nov. 8.