Two candidates separated by 110 votes in Benton County commissioner race

The Richland mayor has a commanding lead in his second attempt to become a Benton County commissioner.

Michael Alvarez had a more than 1,000 vote lead over his two Republican opponents — former state Rep. Bill Jenkin and PUD Commissioner Barry Bush.

The three men are looking to replace outgoing Commissioner Shon Small.

After the first night of counting the Benton County Auditor’s Office reported that Alvarez had 46% or 2,613 votes.

Jenkin was in second with 27% or 1,536 votes. And Bush was close behind with 25% or 1,423 votes.

The top two candidates will advance to the November election.

Benton County counted 18,444 ballots by Tuesday and expects to have another 20,000 remaining. The next count is expected to be released Wednesday at 4 p.m.

So far the auditor’s office has 337 ballots that either needed a signature on the envelope or where the signature didn’t match the one on file.

Voters will be notified by mail and phone to correct the ballot. Deadline for fixing the error is 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 15.

Commission candidates

The three Republicans are looking to represent parts of Richland and Kennewick as well as Prosser, Benton City and a large swath of unincorporated Benton County.

Alvarez, the co-owner of Vision Mortgage, has received a lot of support including an endorsement from the Benton County Republican Party and from Small and Commissioner Bill McKay.

He also is leading in campaign spending, although only by a slim margin. Most of the $17,500, he has spent has come directly from his own pocket, according to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.

This is Alvarez previously ran against Commissioner Jerome Delvin in 2020, but lost in the primary.

Alvarez, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, has been part of the city government since 2017 and was chosen to serve as Richland mayor earlier this year.

Jenkin, the owner of Prosser Vineyard and Winery, is close to his opponent in spending at nearly $17,000. Similar to Alvarez, most of his fundraising has come out of his own pocket.

He has his own impressive list of people who have lined up behind him, including former state Treasurer Duane Davidson, Commissioner Jerome Delvin, as well as state Representatives Skyler Rude and Mark Klicker.

Jenkin served as a Washington state representative for the 16th District between 2017 and 2021. He left the seat to pursue an unsuccessful run for state senate.

Bush, a two-term Benton PUD commissioner ,has spent about $4,500 in his effort to replace Small.

He is the founder of “Save our Horse Heaven Hills,” a group created to oppose out-of-state wind turbine projects from coming to the area.

He did not have a list of endorsements available.

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