Baumgartner, Short Top Vote For Congress, State Senate

Stevens County voters voiced their preferences in several key primary races, with incumbents and leading candidates posting substantial margins across the ballot. According to Washington Secretary of State, Washington primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates advance to the general election using a top-two system. Under this system, all candidates appear on a single primary ballot regard- less of party preference, and the top two vote-getters advance to the November ballot, regardless of their party affiliation. The following is a recap of races with multiple candidates; races with only one candidate listed are not included but will be covered in November’s general election. Election results are set to be certified on Aug. 18, ahead of the general election scheduled for Nov. 3.

Congressional District 5 U.S. Representative

Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, dominated the Congressional District 5 race with over 46 percent of the vote in the eastern Washington congressional district. He received 80,524 votes. Coming in second was Carmela Conroy, D-Spokane, who earned 19.6 percent, or 33,774 votes. She fended off independent challenger Nate Powell, who got 16.1 percent, or 27,869 votes. In Stevens and Ferry county, Baumgartner got 6,915 votes, or roughly 64% of the total. He finished nearly 51 percentage points ahead of his closest competitor. Conroy placed second with 1,360 votes (approximately 13%), followed by Nate Powell, I-Spokane, with 1,191 votes (roughly 11%). David Womack, D-Walla Walla, received 410 votes (approximately 3.5%), while the remaining candidates each received less than 2% of the vote. There were 10,899 cast votes, including 10 unresolved write-in votes.

Legislative District 7 State Senator

Shelly Short, R-Addy, posted a strong showing in the race for Legislative District 7 state senator, winning the seventh district-wide vote with 20,456 votes or 57.2 percent. Ronald L. McCoy, I-Chewelah, advanced in the primary getting 9,528 votes or 27 percent of the vote. In Stevens County, Short recieved 6,718 votes, or roughly 66% of the vote. McCoy, I-Chewelah, finished second with 2,444 votes (approximately 22%). Brandon Ray Medina, R-Brewster, received 678 votes (roughly 6.5%), while David Swoap, R-Tonasket, received 568 votes (approximately 5.5%).

Ferry County Clerk

Melanie Breezee, R-Republic, won the Ferry County clerk race with 1,091 votes, or 58.62% of the vote. Sheri L. Mott, R-Malo, finished second with 759 votes (40.78%). Breezee won by 332 votes, or nearly 18 percentage points. There were 11 write-in votes.

Ferry County Commissioner Dist. 2

Kevin J. Berry, R-Republic, won the Ferry County Commissioner District 2 race with 513 votes, or 52.67% of the vote. Robert “Bob” Dean, R-Republic, finished second with 284 votes (29.16%), followed by Jeremiah “Aymish” Adams, I-Republic, with 176 votes (18.07%). Berry won by 229 votes, finishing nearly 24 percentage points ahead of Dean. There was one write-in vote.

Ferry County Sheriff

Sam Olson, R-Curlew, won the Ferry County sheriff ’s race with 1,123 votes, or 55.02% of the vote. Ray Maycumber, R-Republic, finished second with 907 votes (44.44%). Olson won by 216 votes, or nearly 11 percentage points. There were 11 write-in votes.

Stevens County Auditor

Lori Larsen, R-Chewelah, leads the Stevens County auditor race with 4,652 votes (59.73%), over Eric Simpson, R-Chewelah, who received 3,137 votes (40.27%). Larsen’s margin was 1,515 votes, giving her a nearly 20-percentage-point advantage over Simpson. A total of 7,789 votes were cast in the race, with 120 unresolved write-in votes.

Stevens County Commissioner Dist. 2

Mark Burrows, R-Chewelah, recorded the largest margin among the Stevens County races, winning the Commissioner District No. 2 contest with 2,367 votes, or 81.59%. Jack Griffin Jr. received 534 votes (18.41%). He has no party preference. Burrows won by 1,833 votes, taking more than four out of every five votes cast. The race had 2,901 cast votes, with 185 unresolved write-in votes.

Stevens County Coroner

Johnathan Waldrop, R-Addy, won the Stevens County coroner race decisively, receiving 5,612 votes (74.67%). Roseanne Ennis Jezerinac, R-Nine Mile Falls, finished with 1,904 votes (25.33%), giving Waldrop a margin of 3,708 votes and nearly a 50-percentage-point advantage. There were 7,516 cast votes in the race, along with 104 unresolved write-in votes.