Community Government

Richards, Young, Caldier, Mitchell advancing to general election

Adison Richards, Jesse Young, Michelle Caldier and Tiffiny Mitchell lead state representative races in initial primary election results released Tuesday night, Aug. 6, and the city of Gig Harbor’s sales tax proposal is passing. The top two candidates from each race advance to the Nov. 5 general election.

Adison Richards

Democrat Richards, 32, received 7,404 votes (49.6%) to 5,234 (35.1%) for Republican Young, 47, in the contest to replace Spencer Hutchins for the 26th Legislative District’s Position 1. Republican Jim Henderson, 48, garnered 2,266 votes (15.2%) and likely fell out of contention. Results are preliminary. Updated vote totals will be released the afternoon of Wednesday, Aug. 7.

Jesse Young

Hutchins, a Gig Harbor Republican, did not seek re-election this year, citing concerns about his ability to provide for his family on a legislator’s salary. He narrowly beat Richards in a 2022 contest to fill the vacant seat of Young, who held the position for four terms before giving it up in favor of an unsuccessful bid for the state Senate in 2022.

Michelle Caldier

Young, of Gig Harbor, operates an IT consulting business. Richards is a longtime Key Peninsula and Gig Harbor-area resident who now lives in Bremerton, where he is a housing attorney. Henderson, a business owner and lobbyist who moved to the 26th District in March, is making his first run for elective office.

Tiffiny Mitchell

Republican Caldier jumped ahead in a five-way competition to secure Position 2, with 5,029 votes (34.2%). It would be her sixth consecutive term. She’ll likely be opposed in the general election by Democrat Mitchell, who notched 4,474 votes (30.4%).

Caldier, 48, of Gig Harbor, is a retired dentist. Mitchell, 40, moved to Port Orchard in 2021 after completing a term in the Oregon legislature. She is a benefits specialist with Washington Employment Security Department’s Paid Family and Medical Leave division.

Three fall out of race

The leaders were followed by Republican Rachel Harter (2,784 votes, 18.9%), Democrat Lori McPherson (1,502 votes, 10.2%) and independent Josh Smith (914 votes, 6.2%). Smith, 34, is a data consultant for Washington State Elections. Harter, 44, is a pharmaceutical area sales manager. Both live in Gig Harbor. McPherson, of Bremerton, is payroll tax strategist for the mental health community. She is 55.

The 26th District includes Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsula, South Kitsap County and parts of Bremerton.

Emily Randall

Democrat Emily Randall leads the race to replace Derek Kilmer representing the 6th District in Congress. Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, announced in November he would not seek re-election in 2024 because of the strain of the position on his personal life.

Randall, the 26th District senator from Bremerton, received 31,070 votes (33.5%). Republican state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, is second in the five-person field with 29,257 votes (31.6%). Democrat Hilary Franz, the state Lands Commissioner, is third with 22,897 votes (24.7%).

Olson second in state schools race

Peninsula School Board Director David Olson finished second in the race to be the next state superintendent of public instruction with 285,859 votes (31.0%). He’ll join incumbent Chris Reykdal, who has held the job since 2017, in the general election. Reykdal topped the field of four with 364,059 votes (39.6%). Reid Saaris, who founded an education nonprofit, is third with 215,298 votes (23.4%).

David Olson

Sales tax passing

The city of Gig Harbor’s public safety sales tax proposal was passing Tuesday night with 69.6% of the vote. Revenue would sustain current and already budgeted service levels for criminal justice and police. It would help offset a forthcoming general fund shortfall expected to hit the city late next year.

If approved, the measure would raise the sales tax rate in Gig Harbor by one-tenth of 1%. That would generate an estimated $1 million in revenue and would put the city’s total sales tax rate at an even 9%.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected a property tax increase earlier this year.