Similar messaging shared in bid for Grant County commissioner
Durfee, Raap seek to represent Third District.
Updated
Grant County commission candidates Shannon Durfee (left) and Kelly Raap.
EPHRATA — During a political forum Wednesday evening in Ephrata, Shannon Durfee and Kelly Raap, both Republicans, were each asked how they would contrast themselves as candidates for county commissioner representing the Third District.
“That’s hard,” replied Durfee, “because we really do get along.”
“I can ride and rope a cow,” quipped Raap, then agreed, “We have very similar approaches.”
Those similarities might make it a challenge for at least some voters to decide which oval to ink on their Nov. 3 election ballots.
Raap led a four-candidate field in the Aug. 4 primary with 1,377 votes, followed by Durfee with 1,233. At the time, voting was confined to the Third District, which encompasses the southwest portion of Grant County. In the upcoming general election, the vote is countywide.
One of them will succeed incumbent commissioner Cindy Carter of Royal City, who did not seek reelection and will be leaving at the end of 2026 after completing her fifth term and 20 years in office.
In earlier responses to candidate questionnaires, Durfee and Raap noted their key issues and goals if elected. Those were echoed again on Wednesday: fiscal responsibility and stewardship of public funds, maintaining and improving county infrastructure, supporting public safety and essential county services, promoting economic development that benefits families and communities, and planning for future growth.
Durfee, 40, is a 2004 graduate of Quincy High School who attended Wenatchee Valley College for nearly two years. She currently operates a small business providing administrative and marketing support to local businesses and organizations. Durfee has previously worked as a 911 dispatcher, currently serves on the Quincy School Board, is president of the Quincy Rotary Club, and is involved in other community programs. Her husband, David, is a former chief of Grant County Fire District No. 3.
“Service is part of our lifestyle,” said Durfee, who cites those involvements in budgeting, business, communications, education, and health care among her qualifications for commissioner.
Raap, 55, brings a background in agriculture to her campaign for county commissioner — she is a former high school and collegiate rodeo competitor who helps raise cattle with her husband, Aaron, a sixth-generation farmer in Grant County.
Raap is a graduate of Moses Lake High School, Walla Walla Community College, and Central Wyoming College.
Currently, she works for a Ritzville-based accounting firm that provides bookkeeping and payroll services for businesses statewide. She has prior experience as an auto claims insurance adjuster for Clear Risk Solutions in Ephrata and 12 years as a secretary and payroll assistant for the Ephrata School District. Raap has also assisted in budgeting and financial management of their family farm for over three decades.
“I feel I have good qualifications through my education and work experiences” for the commissioner’s position and, if elected, would be “a voice for agriculture, businesses, and families in our community,” said Raap.
Grant County commissioners currently receive an annual salary of $129,654. Their responsibilities include approving and monitoring a yearly budget that totals $325.5 million in 2026 for about two dozen county offices and departments and nearly 800 employees.
Commissioners are also involved in labor negotiations; have legislative authority to adopt traffic, zoning, planning, and public safety ordinances in the county’s unincorporated areas; and provide oversight of public roads and public works projects. They also serve on numerous local and regional boards including representation on the Grant County Board of Health and Grant Transit Authority.
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Similar messaging shared in bid for Grant County commissioner
Durfee, Raap seek to represent Third District.
EPHRATA — During a political forum Wednesday evening in Ephrata, Shannon Durfee and Kelly Raap, both Republicans, were each asked how they would contrast themselves as candidates for county commissioner representing the Third District.
“That’s hard,” replied Durfee, “because we really do get along.”
“I can ride and rope a cow,” quipped Raap, then agreed, “We have very similar approaches.”
Those similarities might make it a challenge for at least some voters to decide which oval to ink on their Nov. 3 election ballots.
Raap led a four-candidate field in the Aug. 4 primary with 1,377 votes, followed by Durfee with 1,233. At the time, voting was confined to the Third District, which encompasses the southwest portion of Grant County. In the upcoming general election, the vote is countywide.
One of them will succeed incumbent commissioner Cindy Carter of Royal City, who did not seek reelection and will be leaving at the end of 2026 after completing her fifth term and 20 years in office.
In earlier responses to candidate questionnaires, Durfee and Raap noted their key issues and goals if elected. Those were echoed again on Wednesday: fiscal responsibility and stewardship of public funds, maintaining and improving county infrastructure, supporting public safety and essential county services, promoting economic development that benefits families and communities, and planning for future growth.
Durfee, 40, is a 2004 graduate of Quincy High School who attended Wenatchee Valley College for nearly two years. She currently operates a small business providing administrative and marketing support to local businesses and organizations. Durfee has previously worked as a 911 dispatcher, currently serves on the Quincy School Board, is president of the Quincy Rotary Club, and is involved in other community programs. Her husband, David, is a former chief of Grant County Fire District No. 3.
“Service is part of our lifestyle,” said Durfee, who cites those involvements in budgeting, business, communications, education, and health care among her qualifications for commissioner.
Raap, 55, brings a background in agriculture to her campaign for county commissioner — she is a former high school and collegiate rodeo competitor who helps raise cattle with her husband, Aaron, a sixth-generation farmer in Grant County.
Raap is a graduate of Moses Lake High School, Walla Walla Community College, and Central Wyoming College.
Currently, she works for a Ritzville-based accounting firm that provides bookkeeping and payroll services for businesses statewide. She has prior experience as an auto claims insurance adjuster for Clear Risk Solutions in Ephrata and 12 years as a secretary and payroll assistant for the Ephrata School District. Raap has also assisted in budgeting and financial management of their family farm for over three decades.
“I feel I have good qualifications through my education and work experiences” for the commissioner’s position and, if elected, would be “a voice for agriculture, businesses, and families in our community,” said Raap.
Grant County commissioners currently receive an annual salary of $129,654. Their responsibilities include approving and monitoring a yearly budget that totals $325.5 million in 2026 for about two dozen county offices and departments and nearly 800 employees.
Commissioners are also involved in labor negotiations; have legislative authority to adopt traffic, zoning, planning, and public safety ordinances in the county’s unincorporated areas; and provide oversight of public roads and public works projects. They also serve on numerous local and regional boards including representation on the Grant County Board of Health and Grant Transit Authority.
Websites:
www.electshannondurfee.com.
www.electkellyraap.org.