(The Center Square) – The primaries ended on Tuesday, but election officials are still counting ballots, and one race in Spokane is coming down to the wire.
Washington’s 3rd Legislative District, encompassing almost the entirety of Spokane, is home to Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, Rep. Marcus Riccelli and Rep. Timm Ormsby. However, with Billig leaving the Senate and Riccelli running for his spot, a House seat is up for grabs.
As results first rolled in Tuesday night, Republican newcomer Tony Kiepe held the lead for the Position 1 seat with 35.08% of the vote. Assuming he maintains his position, Kiepe will head to the November general election to try to swing one spot in a completely democratic district.
Still, Kiepe is only one of two candidates to advance to November. Democrats Ben Stuckart and Natasha Hill were also on the ticket and are fighting for that second spot. Stuckart had the second most votes on Tuesday night, but by a thin margin making it too close to call.
On Thursday morning, Spokane County still had an estimated 40,000 ballots to process, but that number had dwindled to 35,000 by the end of the day. The ballots pushed Hill ahead of Stuckart, with her receiving 32.38% of the votes, while he garnered 32.31%.
Hill currently holds the lead by less than 30 votes, and with 35,000 left to count, it’s still anyone’s race. Hill and Stuckart are less than 1,000 votes behind Kiepe, so there’s also the chance they could oust him from the race, sending two Democrats back to the General Election.
Kiepe, who’s run unsuccessfully for city council several times, raised the least money through his campaign than his competitors despite holding the lead. While there are still a few months to go, Kiepe has only raised around $14,000.
Meanwhile, Hill, an attorney who’s made a name for herself advocating for minority groups, has raised just over $61,000. Stuckart, Spokane’s former council president, has raised roughly $108,000, almost eight times as much as the republican challenger.
The race is becoming a battle of ideals. Kiepe, a Republican, promises to support law enforcement, advocate for regulations that don’t increase building costs and protect the rights of parents across the state and district.
On the other hand, Hill and Stuckart are focused on the rights of the oppressed. In addition to being an attorney, Hill served as editor-in-chief for The Black Lens but recently stepped aside to focus on her campaign.
Since leaving the council, Stuckart has focused on Spokane’s housing needs amid a significant shortage of low-income/affordable units. He most notably tried to strike down Spokane’s voter-approved law, which increased prohibitions against camping on public property.
While a superior court judge ruled against the lawsuit, an appeals court disagreed. Now, the Washington State Supreme Court will review the law this fall over potential issues with the initiative process.
Spokane County will process its next round of ballots on Friday evening. The official results of Tuesday’s election will be certified on Aug. 20.
