(The Center Square) – The primaries ended on Tuesday, but election officials are still counting ballots, and one race in Spokane is coming down to the wire.
Washington’s 3rd Legislative District, encompassing almost the entirety of Spokane, is home to Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, Rep. Marcus Riccelli and Rep. Timm Ormsby. However, with Billig leaving the Senate and Riccelli running for his spot, a House seat is up for grabs.
As results first rolled in Tuesday night, Republican newcomer Tony Kiepe held the lead for the Position 1 seat with 35.08% of the vote. Assuming he maintains his position, Kiepe will head to the November general election to try to swing one spot in a completely democratic district.
Still, Kiepe is only one of two candidates to advance to November. Democrats Ben Stuckart and Natasha Hill were also on the ticket and are fighting for that second spot. Stuckart had the second most votes on Tuesday night, but by a thin margin making it too close to call.
On Thursday morning, Spokane County still had an estimated 40,000 ballots to process, but that number had dwindled to 35,000 by the end of the day. The ballots pushed Hill ahead of Stuckart, with her receiving 32.38% of the votes, while he garnered 32.31%.