OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington Commissioner of Public Lands candidates Jaime Herrera Beutler (R), Sue Kuehl Pederson (R) and Dave Upthegrove (D) are all waiting for final election results to see which two top candidates will advance to the general election after a nail-biter Aug. 6 primary.
Democrats have historically claimed comfortable victories in the Lands Commissioner race with no Republican occupying the role since 2009. A side-effect of that electoral confidence was a primary race with creating the possibility of a diluted party vote.
That seems to be what happened in the Aug. 6 statewide primary race.
is poised to take home first place in the primary, with Upthegrove and Pederson contending for the second spot. No results have been certified or called by the Associated Press as of Sunday evening.
Upthegrove currently serves as King County Council Chair. Before serving in county government, Upthegrove was a state representative who served on the House Environment Committee. Only 2,000 votes divided him and Pederson as of the latest ballot count drop.
Both Beutler and Pederson have expressed their skepticism toward current Washington Department of Natural Resources forest management practices.
If each Republican advances, Democrats will be shut out of the general election race. It would pose a fascinating turn of events for the Evergreen State, where a focus on combating the climate emergency
