State Rep. Jim Moeller has been elected to serve his fifth term in the 49th Legislative District. Moeller defeated Republican challenger Craig Riley 53.7 percent to 46.2 percent for the Position 2 seat, according to preliminary results released Tuesday night.
Moeller, a Democrat, said Tuesday he expects the gap to narrow as additional ballots are counted but believes he will still come out on top.
“I’m again honored to be picked to serve two more years for the residents of the 49th District,” Moeller said.
Riley said he didn’t regret running, and while the tally is still close, he conceded it would be difficult to garner enough late votes to defeat Moeller.
“Congratulations to Jim,” Riley said. “I just hope and pray he starts bringing some fiscal common sense and reality to the Legislature and not keep the current tax-and-spend mentality.”
In the August primary, Moeller edged Riley 52 percent to 47 percent. Though the two disagreed on most issues, both seemed to enjoy the campaign competition. Moeller said he was focused on what he wanted to achieve and said Riley had him working hard. Riley called the election a “horse race” and predicted a shoving match to the end.
Moeller said the close race is evidence of the quality of his opponent. As an incumbent, Moeller said Riley forced him to answer the question, “Why do I do what I do?”
Moeller said he runs for office “for the people of the 49th District. So they have health care. So they have transportation. So they have education. And I can be their voice in Olympia.”
Moeller grew up in Vancouver and has worked as a chemical dependency counselor for Kaiser Permanente for the past 20 years. He was elected to the Vancouver City Council in 1995 and re-elected in 1999. In 2002, he won election to the state House of Representatives. As deputy speaker pro tem of the House, Moeller often presides over House sessions. He also serves on the Transportation, Health and Wellness, Commerce and Labor and Rules committees.
During the campaign, Moeller voiced his support for adequate public health funding and social services. He supported the state initiative to impose an income tax on the state’s highest earners, though he called it imperfect.
The 49th District encompasses Vancouver west of Interstate 205 and Hazel Dell.
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
