GC primary election leaders unchanged in updated tallies
Bevier moves into second spot in Superior Court judge's race.
EPHRATA — Challenger Darrik Gregg has expanded his narrow lead over incumbent Joey Kriete in their bid for Grant County sheriff as both candidates appear poised to advance to the November general election.
Gregg led by just six votes on Election Night, but updated results posted late Friday afternoon from Tuesday’s primary showed him with a 72-vote advantage, 4,555-4,483, over Kriete, who is seeking a second four-year term in office. Both are from Moses Lake. A third candidate, Josh Sainsbury of Ephrata, has received 3,510 votes. All three are Republicans with extensive law enforcement experience.
Grant County elections officials say an estimated 3,455 ballots remain to be counted in the primary. Results will be certified on Aug. 18. The top two candidates move on to the November election. Turnout for the primary now sits at 26% — roughly only one in four of the county’s 52,957 registered voters bothered to submit a ballot.
In another close contest, county deputy prosecutor Trevor Bevier moved into second place in a three-candidate race for Grant County Superior Court judge. Private practice attorney Ken Chadwick leads Bevier by a 730-vote margin, 4,379-3,649.
On Election Night, Bevier had trailed by over 200 votes to Jennifer Richardson, a former state Assistant Attorney General who was appointed in January by Gov. Bob Ferguson to fill a vacancy on the bench. Richardson now has 3,553 votes, 96 behind Bevier, for the Position 3 judgeship, which is nonpartisan.
In Grant County’s two other primary races with three or more candidates (all Republicans), the top two on Election Night continued to keep their leads in Friday’s updated results.
Interim appointee Shannon Falstad of Ephrata has received nearly 47% of the vote for county auditor, followed by Darci Homesley (27.5%) and Andrew Koeppen (24.6%), both of Moses Lake.
And in the four-candidate primary for county commissioner representing District 3, Kelly Raap of rural Ephrata leads with 35.6%, followed by Shannon Durfee of Quincy at 27.9%. Both should advance to the general election over Janice Flynn of Royal City (19.3%) and Seth Weeks of Mattawa (16.1%). Voting in the primary was limited to residents within the district, which largely covers the southwest portion of the county. In the general election, voting will be countywide.
One local money measure on Tuesday’s primary ballot appears headed for defeat. By a 2-to-1 margin, voters in Grant County Public Hospital District No. 5, which operates the Mattawa Community Medical Clinic, are rejecting a proposition to raise the district’s property tax “levy lid.”
Regionally, Grant County voters also factored into two races in central Washington.
Deanna Martinez of Moses Lake continues to lead for the Position 2 House seat representing the state’s 13th Legislative District. Josh Thompson of Ellensburg trails Martinez by 443 votes, 8,254-7,811, followed by Don Myers of Moses Lake with 6,049 votes. The three Republicans are vying to succeed current state Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, who is running unopposed for the state Senate.
And in the 4th Congressional District, Yakima County commissioner Amanda McKinney, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, has garnered 34.6% of the vote in updated tallies. Democrat John Duresky of West Richland, at 30.1%, trails McKinney by nearly 6,200 votes.
They are looking to succeed U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, who chose not to pursue re-election to another two-year term in Washington, D.C.
The race for Newhouse’s seat attracted 11 candidates, including Republicans Jerrod Sessler of Prosser and state Sen. Matt Boehnke of Kennewick. Sessler, who has sparred with McKinney over Trump’s endorsement and has previously lost twice to Newhouse, sits third in the current race with 14.5% of the vote. Boehnke, who was endorsed by Newhouse, is fourth at 10.7%.
None of the other seven candidates polled over 4%.
Results updated Friday, Aug. 7, from the Aug. 4 primary election:
CONGRESS - 4th District
Amanda McKinney, R-Yakima — 47,157 (34.6%); John Duresky, D-West Richland — 40,993 (30.1%); Jerrod Sessler, R-Prosser — 19,692 (14.5%); Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick — 14,557 (10.7%); others.
STATE - 13TH Legislative District, Position 2
Deanna Martinez, R-Moses Lake — 8,254 (36.2%); Joshua Thompson, R-Ellensburg — 7,811 (34.7%); Don Myers, R-Moses Lake — 6,049 (26.8%).
GRANT COUNTY
ASSESSOR: Clayton Johnson, NP-Ephrata, 9,710 (96.6%).
AUDITOR: Shannon Falstad, R-Ephrata — 5,706 (46.9%); Darci Homesley, R-Moses Lake — 3,348 (27.5%); Andrew Koeppen, R-Moses Lake — 2,993 (24.6%).
CLERK: Kimberly A. Allen, R-Soap Lake — 10,213 (98.3%).
COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 3: Kelly Raap, R-Ephrata — 1,051 (35.6%); Shannon Durfee, R-Quincy — 822 (27.9%); Janice Flynn, R-Royal City — 570 (19.3%); Seth Weeks, R-Mattawa — 475 (16.1%).
CORONER: Craig Morrison, R-Moses Lake — 10,507 (98.9%).
PROSECUTOR: Brandon K. Guernsey, R-Moses Lake — 9,964 (98.5%).
SHERIFF: Darrik Gregg, R-Moses Lake — 4,555 (36%); Joey Kriete, R-Moses Lake — 4,483 (35.5%); Josh Sainsbury, R-Ephrata — 3,510 (27.8%).
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE, POSITION 3 (all non-partisan): Kenneth Chadwick — 4,379 (37.7%); Trevor Bevier — 3,649 (31.4%); Jennifer Richardson — 3,553(30.6%).
TREASURER: Carrie Heston, NP-Ephrata — 10,128 (99.2%).
GRANT COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT 5, PROP. 1: Approve — 76 (33%); Reject — 154 (67%).
