Republican incumbent Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer came into the primary election facing a large field of candidates from all sides of the political spectrum.
After the first vote tally Tuesday evening, he is holding onto the lead in the Aug. 4 primary with 33.65% of the votes, representing 2,093 ballots.
He is followed closely by Lewis County Public Utility District Commissioner and Republican challenger Mike Hadaller, who recorded 31.13% of the vote in the preliminary results, representing 1,936 votes in his favor.
Brummer and Hadaller will almost certainly advance to the general election in November under the state’s top-two primary format.
An updated ballot count was expected on Wednesday afternoon. The election will be certified Aug. 21.
Lewis County Democrats Chair Zac Eckstein was in third with 22.25% of the vote, representing 1,384 voters.
East Lewis County moderate Republican candidate Tim Toerber recorded 7.36% of the vote while progressive independent and Toledo business owner Kyle Wheeler received 5.55%.
In a written statement, Brummer thanked his supporters and said he is excited to take his campaign “county wide” in preparation for the general election.
“I will continue to work hard in earning the trust and support from the people of Lewis County,” Brummer said.
In Lewis County, primary elections for county commissioner gather only votes from residents of the commissioners legislative district — in this case, District 3 — while the general election will allow all Lewis County residents to vote. District 3 includes all of East Lewis County and part of southern Lewis County.
Hadaller told The Chronicle he saw the initial results as evidence of waning support for Brummer.
“They’re showing Scott Brummer that this county’s not happy with all these lawsuits, and they’re showing him that he's not the king,” Hadaller said. “They want better representation at the east end, and that’s what I’ll give them.”
Brummer and Hadaller were the first to disclose their campaigns to the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission back in January and are the two major Republicans in the race. They’re the only two candidates with experience holding elected office in the county.
Brummer has frequently leaned on his experience as the incumbent and years of work with the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife as evidence of his qualifications. Hadaller on the other hand has highlighted his reputation as a homegrown East Lewis County resident in contrast to Brummer, who lives near Winlock.
Eckstein is the only Democrat in the race and has, similar to Hadaller, often spoken of himself as a true East Lewis County resident, living in Ethel. His campaign has also been a launch point for a recent movement to push for the expansion of the Lewis County Board of Commissioners from three members to five.
