Early results showed JW Foster and Wayne Fournier leading in two primary races for Thurston County Commissioner, an indicator of how the general election results might turn out in November.
JW Foster, an independent, led Rachel Dreon, a Democrat, in the race for Position 2, according to initial results released by the county Auditor Tuesday night.
Whoever ultimately wins the District 2 race in November will replace Gary Edwards, a two-term commissioner and former Thurston County Sheriff. Edwards plans to retire after he concludes his current term.
In the Position 4 race, voters favored Fournier, a Democrat who won his seat last year after the county commission expanded to five members.
Commissioner Carolina Mejia, a Democrat, ran for reelection unopposed. She had garnered 95.8% of the vote in early returns Tuesday.
All county commissioner candidates will advance to the November general election. Auditor Mary Hall said nonpartisan races appear on the ballot regardless of if there are two or fewer candidates.
The initial count from the Auditor’s office shows voter turnout was about 18.8% of 200,449 registered voters, but more ballots will arrive in the mail and be counted in the coming days.
On primary election day 2020, the last presidential election year, turnout was about 33.5% of the county’s then 190,200 registered voters, according to data from the Auditor’s Office. Turnout reached about 56.6% by the final tally.
Hall said her staff had about 20,000 ballots in house that have yet to be counted. When factoring those ballots, she said turnout will be closer to about 28%. And there’s even more ballots coming in from ballot boxes across the county, Hall said.
“Fingers crossed that we have really good turnout,” Hall said. “I’m predicting that we’re going to be at about 45% based on historic elections that are primaries in presidential years.”
For comparison, turnout for the 2023 primary election reached 30.9% of the county’s 191,908 registered voters, according to the final certified results.
Thurston County will post updated results nearly daily until the county certifies the results on Aug. 20.
THE DISTRICT 2 RACE
The primary election results for Thurston County Commissioner District 2 race showed Foster with 3,384 votes as of Tuesday night. Dreon followed with 2,487 votes.
Foster waited for the results while in his backyard with his wife and dogs. He said he felt satisfied with the tally so far and he’s ready to bring his message to the rest of the county in the general election.
“It’s heartening to me to know that my resume has spoken to the voters and they trust me to do a good job,” Foster said. “I hope the county electorate will feel the same way in November.”
Dreon said she gathered with fellow Democrats at the home of former Washington State Senator Karen Fraser to await the primary results. Though she wasn’t in the lead Tuesday night, Dreon called the results a strong showing.
“The general election is really the next step,” Dreon said. “We’ve really built a strong team. Thank you to the supporters. Thank you for getting out and getting the vote done. I really think we have what we need to take this in November.”
Foster became interim mayor of Yelm in 2016 and then won a four-year term in the 2017 election. He previously served on the Yelm City Council from 2011 to 2016. He previously told The Olympian that he decided to run for county commissioner after taking a break from public service and seeing the county commission expand to five members.
He said he chose to run as an independent because he has supported people and issues on both sides of the political divide and he feels the commission should be non-partisan. Foster lists fiscal responsibility, accountability with residents, economic vitality, affordable housing, and public safety as his top issues on his website.
The list also includes environmental responsibility, support programs for vulnerable people, property rights as they relate to development and interlocal relationships.
Dreon describes herself as a progressive Democrat and proud 2004 graduate of Thurston County Drug Court. She previously told The Olympian she has a professional background in behavioral health and lived experience with many of the housing and substance use issues that affect many county residents.
Dreon currently works for King County as their Department of Community and Human Services Behavioral Health Workforce Investments Manager. She also serves as the co-chair of Thurston County Treatment Sales Tax Advisory Committee. She has a master’s degree in public administration from The Evergreen State College and a resume with state and local leadership roles, according to her website.
Dreon lists transparency, fiscal responsibility, housing, homelessness, public health and safety, environment and agriculture as her top priorities if elected, per her website.
District 2 stretches across Thurston County’s eastern border and includes parts of northeast Lacey as well as the City of Yelm.
THE DISTRICT 4 RACE
In the District 4 race, Fournier led with 3,802 votes as of Tuesday night. But Rob Laymon, who stated no party preference, was close behind with 3,503 votes.
Fournier said he felt good about the results, especially compared to last year when he was initially down in the primary.
“I think it kind of speaks to the work that I’ve done in the last year,” Fournier said. “There’s always two winners in the primary, so I’m just looking forward to the general election.”
He thanked voters for their support this year and said he’s going to keep working hard for them.
Laymon did not respond to a request for comment.
Fournier is currently serving out his first term as a county commissioner. He won his seat last year after the commission expanded to five members.
His initial term was made short so it could align with the four-year rotation for county commissioner seats.
Whoever wins this seat will go on to serve a four-year term.
Fournier is a Tenino native who began his career as a volunteer firefighter and later served as mayor of Tenino from 2015 to 2023. If re-elected, he has pledged to seek practical solutions, foster sustainable growth and work collaboratively with people in the county, according to his website.
Laymon describes himself as an “everyday citizen” and not a politician, per his statement in the voter pamphlet. He listed electrician, water management, plumber and well driller among his professional experience.
If elected, his statement indicates he will work to ensure property taxes go towards maintaining streets and roads and he will seek to cut back property regulations and permitting fees.
He added he will offer a “hand-up” rather than a “hand-out” to people experiencing homelessness, mental illness and drug use.
District 4 covers southwest Thurston County including south Tumwater and the cities of Tenino, Bucoda and Rainier.
