Incumbents shine in 15th Legislative District

In polling for two House of Representatives seats in the 15th Legislative District, the incumbents pulled far ahead Tuesday night.

The 15th District includes a small portion of Clark County, near Washougal, and Skamania, Klickitat and Yakima counties. About 4,800 registered Clark County voters reside in the 15th District, according to county records.

Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger, who is completing his sixth term in office, led with 65.3 percent over Paul Spencer, D-Stevenson, the challenger for Position 1, in unofficial results posted Tuesday night.

Rep. David Taylor, R-Moxee, was appointed to Position 2 in March 2009 and was elected last November to complete the term, which expires this year. Taylor led with 64.7 percent over Tom Silva, D-Wapato.

Chandler, 58, said earlier that legislators have the opportunity to turn the state economy around and make Washington a leader in the national and global economy. As the owner of a small orchard, Chandler said he understands the challenges small-business owners face in trying to grow and create more jobs.

For Taylor, the Position 2 incumbent, the two biggest issues are creating jobs and a sustainable budget; those two issues go hand-in-hand, he said. The Legislature needs to take a hard look at how the government is operating and put forward ideas and policies that encourage development, Taylor said.