Community Government

Randall leading race for Congress; Richards, Caldier winning legislative races

Emily Randall is going to Washington, D.C. Michelle Caldier is returning to Olympia, but Jesse Young likely is not joining her.

Initial vote totals show Democrat Adison Richards leading the 26th Legislative District House against Republican Young. Richards has 52.25% of the vote (33,512 total votes) to 47.63% (30,549) for Young.

Adison Richards

Richards is making his second run for public office after losing a nail-biter for the same Position 1 seat to Republican Spencer Hutchins in 2022. Young is a former state representative who gave up his seat in 2022 to run against Randall for the state Senate. Hutchins opted against running for re-election, citing financial concerns.

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

The results were posted shortly after 8 p.m. Another count will be released Wednesday afternoon.

Other results

Democrat Randall, the second-term state senator from the 26th District, safely leads the race to replace Derek Kilmer as the Sixth Congressional District’s representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Bremerton Democrat earned 57.3% of the vote (167,827 votes) in the race against state Sen. Drew MacEwen R-Shelton.

Randall will replace retiring Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. Only one Republican — Thor Tollefson of Tacoma, between 1947 and 1965 — has ever represented the Sixth in Congress.

The Sixth District represents the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsulas and all of Kitsap, Mason, Clallam and Jefferson counties.

Veteran state Rep. Michelle Caldier, R-Gig Harbor, fended off a challenge from Democrat Tiffiny Mitchell of Port Orchard to retain the 26th District’s Position 2. Caldier received support from 54.16% of voters (34,504 votes) to Mitchell’s 45.68% (29,103).

OSPI

Peninsula School Board member David Olson has earned more than one million votes in his race to become the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, but he still trails incumbent Chris Reykdal.

Olson earned 45.82% of the vote (1,021,153 votes) to Reykdal’s 53.63 (1,195,088). Likely boosted by local name recognition, Olson won 52% of the vote in Pierce County and swept conservative-leaning counties in Eastern Washington. Reykdal raked in votes elsewhere in the Puget Sound region.

Pierce County results

Results in high-profile Pierce County races:

County executive

Ryan Mello: 51.24% (155,234)

Kelly Chambers: 48.63 (147,346)

County Sheriff

Keith Swank: 51.46 (149,057)

Patti Jackson: 48.19 (139,589)

Statewide results

Governor

Bob Ferguson (D): 56.5% (1,447,133)

Dave Reichert (R): 43.32 (1,109,538)

Attorney general

Nick Brown (D): 56.44% (1,413,462)

Pete Serrano (R): 43.47% (1,088,799)

Commissioner of Public Lands

Jaime Herrera Beutler (R): 46.6% (1,164,271)

Dave Upthegrover (D): 53.18% (1,328,469)

Initiative 2066 (natural gas)

Yes: 51.17%

No: 48.83%

Initiative 2109 (capital gains tax repeal)

Yes: 36.68%

No: 63.32%

Initiative 2117 (Climate Commitment Act repeal)

Yes: 38.19%

No: 61.81%

Initiative 2124 (long-term care insurance opt-out)

Yes: 44.42%

No: 55.58%