Incumbents in the Spokane area's legislative districts fared well in Tuesday's primary election, while several newcomers have a chance to punch their tickets to Olympia.
The state representatives who are leading in their races after the first round of vote counting include Third District Democrat Timm Ormsby (unopposed), Fourth District Republican Suzanne Schmidt (66 percent), Sixth District Republicans Mike Volz (60 percent) and Jenny Graham (58 percent) and Ninth District Republicans Mary Dye (66 percent) and Joe Schmick (65 percent). Ninth District Republican Senator Mark Schoesler is unopposed in his bid for re-election.
Third District Democratic Representative Marcus Riccelli faced only a write-in candidate in his bid to replace Democrat Andy Billig in the Senate. He picked up 94 percent of the vote. The three people who hope to replace him, Democrats Ben Stuckart and Natasha Hill and Republican Tony Kiepe, are locked in a tight race. After the first batch of votes, Kiepe has 34.2 percent. Stuckart (33.6) and Hill (32) split the Democratic vote.
In the conservative Fourth District, two Democrats lead in races that each have six candidates (four Republicans, two Democrats). In the race for the Senate seat held by long-time incumbent Mike Padden, Democrat Miguel Valencia has 23 percent of the vote. (Democrats won 35 percent of the total vote.) Representative Leonard Christian is the top Republican with 21 percent. Republican business Mike Kelly, who earned Padden's endorsement, has 19 percent.
In the race for the Fourth District House seat that Christian is vacating, Democrat Ted Cummings has 26 percent of the vote. (Again, Democrats took about 35 percent of the total vote.) Former Republican Representative Rob Chase is next with 23 percent, less than a percentage point ahead of former Spokane Valley Councilwoman Brandi Peetz.
The Seventh Legislative District will elect two new House members. (Rep. Joel Kretz is retiring and Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber is running for Congress.) In one race, Republican Andrew Engall (45 percent) will face another Republican, either Teagan Levine or Soo-Ing Moody, in November. Levine leads by about a quarter-of-a-percentage point.
In the other Seventh District race, Republican Hunter Abell (34 percent) and Democrat Paul "Rocky" Dean (30 percent) appear headed for a runoff in November.
