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While a national mandate for “change we can believe in” was more than evident Tuesday night, the mood for local elective races could be better described as “candidates we have faith in.”
As Democratic candidate Barack Obama marched to an impressive 349 electoral vote win to become president of the United States, Spokane County voters continued to support mostly GOP candidates.
Republican Spokane County Commissioners Mark Richard and Todd Mielke appeared to have eked out close wins as the first numbers came in, however there are still votes that need to be counted until the election is certified Nov. 25.
Tuesday’s counts had Richard with 67,156 votes to challenger Bryan Sayrs’ 62,482. Sayrs is a seven-year member of the Liberty Lake City Council.
Mielke seemed to be having an easier time fending off a challenge by Kim Thorburn, the former medical officer of the Spokane Regional Health District. Thorburn had just 45 percent of the vote to Mielke’s nearly 55 percent.
Meanwhile, it appears Sen. Bob McCaslin and Rep. Larry Crouse will also keep their state 4th District legislative seats. McCaslin – who has had the job since 1980 – had nearly 57 percent of the vote Tuesday over challenger Judi Owens, a Central Valley employee and member of the Liberty Lake council.
Linda Thompson, executive director of the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council, was behind Crouse 18,861 votes to 15,091 as votes came in Tuesday.
The only 4th District newcomer will be Republican Matt Shea, a Mead attorney, who had a large lead over retired Spokane Valley educator Tim Hattenburg, for the second of the state House of Representatives spots. When the final votes were counted Tuesday, Shea had just over 57 percent of the vote. He will replace the retiring Lynn Schindler, who served as a representative for 10 years.
County voters also overwhelmingly – over 60 percent – supported Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ bid for a third term in the 5th District. She defeated Democrat Mark Mays.
But county ballot casters were only marginally in favor of projected winner and incumbent Gov. Christine Gregoire. Gregoire had 68,850 votes to challenger Dino Rossi’s 68,536 in Spokane County. Across the state, Gregoire’s margin was wider with 858,909 votes to Rossi’s 744,852.
County voters also went along with the rest of the nation in their support of Obama, giving the nation’s first African-American president nearly 50 percent of the vote to McCain’s 47 percent. Independent Ralph Nader earned 1,500 votes in Spokane County for third place. Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin – who made a stop in Spokane Valley two weeks ago – got 775 votes Tuesday.
Local voters also joined the statewide support for initiatives supporting increased training for in-home caregivers for the elderly (I-1029) and physician-assisted suicide for terminal patients (I-1000) and Washington’s rejection for Tim Eyman’s latest offering (I-985) which would have targeted tax dollars for high-priority projects.
Finally, south of Spokane Valley, the town of Rockford got over 65 percent support for a 55-cent per $1,000 property tax hike to raise $10,000 for increased fire protection.
Officials at the Spokane County Elections Office would like to remind voters that there are still several ballots that have signature problems that must be resolved by Nov. 24. Voters whose ballot signatures do not match their registration record have been sent letters instructing them to contact the election’s office.
For more information, call 477-6390.
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By
Mike Huffman
