The primary race for Thurston County commissioner District 1 remains too close to call, with thousands of ballots still to be counted.
According to a count released Thursday afternoon by the Thurston County Elections office, Olympia City Councilman Jim Cooper continues to lead the race with 6,392 votes, or 34.58 percent. Former Tenino Police Chief John Hutchings gained some ground with last-minute voters and has 3,530 votes, or 19.1 percent while former Olympia School Board member and land use attorney Allen Miller has 3,529 votes, or 19.09 percent.
The top two vote-getters will advance to November’s general election. Commissioner Cathy Wolfe is retiring at the end of her term.
Election officials estimated that there are about 4,000 ballots left to count. Another count will be released Friday evening.
The election is scheduled to be certified on Aug. 16.
