1 Tri-Cities state House race is nearly 3-way heat. Two others have clear leaders

Some of the most competitive local races this election day are in the Washington 8th Legislative District where candidates face off to replace incumbents aiming for higher offices.

State Rep. Brad Klippert had to step down from his House seat in an effort to oust U.S. Congressman Dan Newhouse.

With the first round of ballots in, Stephanie Barnard and Patrick Guettner were looking to be the two who will advance to the November election to replace Klippert.

Barnard took a decisive 68% of the vote, or 9,693 votes. Guettner received 22% of the vote, or 3,195 votes.

The second 8th District House seat was held by Rep. Matt Boehnke who decided to run for the 8th District Senate post instead.

He took the clear lead Tuesday night to replace State Sen. Sharon Brown, who is not seeking a third 4-year term.

In the race to replace Boehnke, April Connors was in the lead at 35%, or 5,875 votes, followed by Joe Cotta with 32%, or 5,346 votes, after initial vote counts Tuesday

John Christenson was close behind at 31%, or 5,196 votes.

The 8th Legislative District covers the western portions of Kennewick and Pasco, as well as most of Richland and reaches up toward the Hanford nuclear site.

The 16th District includes the rest of the rural portions of Benton County including Prosser and Benton City, encompasses the eastern portion of Kennewick and Finley and all of Walla Walla County.

The vote tally released Tuesday night represents the first round of ballots. In Benton County they were the ballots received or dropped into a ballot box by 5 p.m. Friday, July 29.

Counts will be updated with an estimated 20,000 remaining ballots, based on projections from prior elections, according to the Benton County Auditor’s office.

Franklin County counted 9,776 ballots. They estimate they have about 10,000 to 20,000 outstanding as well.

The next update will be Wednesday afternoon.

8th District Rep. Position 1

Three Republicans are vying to replace Rep. Brad Klippert, who is vacating the seat as part of a run to oust Congressman Dan Newhouse.

Stephanie Barnard is the clear leader in the race and will likely be the candidate to beat for the November general election. She is the former head of government affairs for the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Franklin County Republican vice chair. She has been endorsed by the Benton County Republican Party.

“Great results last night in the primary. I am so thankful for all the support, kindness, and generosity of this region,” Barnard said in a social media post. “I am honored and humbled. Now on to the general.”

Patrick Guettner of Pasco is a retiree and has served as a former Republican party chair. He looks to be the likely opponent in November, unless voting patterns drastically change with ballots cast on election day.

Glenn Taylor had previously said he would be withdrawing from the race, however he made the announcement too late and ballots already had been printed.

Taylor is a Kennewick pastor and former legislative assistant. Taylor came in third with 8% of the initial vote, or 1,076 votes.

8th District Rep. Position 2

Four people are vying to replace Rep. Matt Boehnke for the District 8 Position 2 seat.

April Connors, a Republican, is a real estate professional and former legal assistant. If voting patterns hold with election day results, she is the most likely candidate to be on the ballot in November.

“We have a tight race happening, thank you so much for the votes and support,” she said on social media Wednesday morning. “Looking forward to updated numbers this afternoon and continuing to work hard for the mighty 8th.”

Democrat John Christenson and Republican Joe Cotta are locked in a tight heat, with less than 1% of votes separating them. Cotta is just 150 votes ahead of democrat Christenson for the second spot on the November ballot.

Cotta has the backing of the Benton County Republican Party. He’s a fourth generation farmer. He’s a mainstay in the Tri-Cities area vineyard community, managing Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Cold Creek Vineyard.

Christenson is a former Benton Fire District 1 commissioner and has served on the board of several area organizations. He is a civil engineer by trade, and an Army veteran.

Larry Stanley, a member of the Alliance Party, has run for elected office three other times. He is a local winery manager and former customer service trainer for Amazon. Stanley won 2% of the vote, or 308 votes so far.

16th District Position 1

Walla Walla Republican Mark Klicker had two challengers in his bid for a second term — Jeff Strickler and Sharon Kay Schiller.

Klicker has a strong lead with 66% of the vote, or 10,276 votes. Jeff Strickler was in second place with 31% of the vote, or 4,857 votes. Sharon Kay Schiller had 3% of the vote, or 524 votes.

“Thank you all for your support tonight! I truly appreciate your vote to be your voice in Olympia,” Klicker said in a social media post. “I look forward to continuing to see all of you on the campaign trail.”

It’s unclear if Sharon Kay Schiller, a Peace and Freedom Party candidate, is still in the race — earlier saying that she had withdrawn her candidacy due to medical reasons, but later said she was back in the race. Unless there is a major shake up with election day votes, she will not be going on to the November general election.

Klicker is a business owner who works as a farm and ranch real estate agent.

In the House, Klicker serves as assistant ranking minority member of the Environment and Energy Committee and as a member of the following committees: Rules, Rural Development, Agriculture and Natural Development, and Transportation.

Jeff Strickler, a Walla Walla Democrat, is a real estate agent serving parts of Eastern Washington and Oregon who spent more than 20 years in the software industry, mostly running his own consulting practice. He moved to the area in 2010 from Seattle, though he previously spent time in Eastern Oregon.

Schiller is a three-time city council candidate and U.S. Army veteran who lives in Walla Walla. She’s running under the Peace and Freedom Party because it reflects her “left-libertarian philosophy,” she said in the voters’ guide.

Schiller has worked in business office administration and as a registered nurse.

Reporter Eric Rosane contributed to this report.

Live voting results for Aug. 2, 2022, elections in Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla counties