All four Washington Supreme Court justices on the ballot Tuesday are apparently retaining their seats.
Two justices, Raquel Montoya-Lewis and G. Helen Whitener, defeated challengers. The other two, Chief Justice Debra Stephens and Charles Johnson, ran unopposed.
In eastern Washington, the Court of Appeals will have a new judge. Spokane Municipal Court Judge Tracy Staab defeated attorney Marshall Casey for the right to replace Kevin Korsmo on the appellate court bench.
Staab says their race was often overshadowed by other races at the federal and state levels.
“A lot of times people would be having campaign events and I would have to say, ‘Remember me, remember us. We’re up for election too. Don’t forget us.’ It’s unfortunate because we’re trying so hard to get the word out so people can make informed decisions," she said.
In the three northeast Washington counties, Patrick Monasmith and Jessica Taylor Reeves won the right to continue on the bench. In Lincoln County, the county prosecutor, Jeff Barkdull, defeated an incumbent, Dan Johnson, for his seat. And in Okanogan County, Hank Rawson and Chris Culp were re-elected.