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GOP takes House seats in the 20th and 14th

By Justin Runquist, Columbian Small Cities Reporter
Published: November 5, 2014, 12:00am

Republican candidates captured a decisive election victory Tuesday night in two legislative districts on the fringes of Clark County.

Early returns show incumbent Reps. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, and Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, won by landslides to hold onto their seats in the 20th District for another term. Orcutt defeated Republican John Morgan with about 69.6 percent of the vote, and DeBolt held about 66.3 percent of the vote against Michael Savoca, an independent from Rainier.

The 20th Legislative District covers a large piece of Southwest Washington, including most of Cowlitz and Lewis counties and stretching into the lower reaches of Thurston County. The district’s southern boundary dips into north Clark County.

Orcutt fared especially well with his constituents in Clark County, where he captured about 76.6 percent of the vote. DeBolt picked up support from about 61.6 percent of those voters.

Out east in the 14th District, incumbent Rep. Norm Johnson, R-Yakima, took about 57.5 percent to beat Michael Scott Brumback, a Yakima attorney who identifies as a Republican but had no party preference listed on the ballot. For the district’s other seat, Goldendale businesswoman Gina McCabe easily edged out Yakima Democrat Paul George, claiming roughly 69.6 percent of the vote.

A small portion of rural northeast Clark County falls within the 14th District. The rest of the district stretches across a broad portion of south-central Washington, including all of Skamania and Klickitat counties and western Yakima County.

Orcutt’s victory puts him in place to begin his seventh two-year term in the House. He said his top priority heading back to the Legislature will be job creation and supporting private-sector growth.

DeBolt has served nine two-year terms in the House, where he’s held a number of leadership positions over the years.

With Johnson’s win, the former teacher and Yakima city councilor will enter his fourth term in the House.

McCabe, a newcomer to the Legislature, touts her experience as the owner of several businesses in Goldendale as an asset to economic development at the state level. McCabe told The Columbian she brings more than 25 years of business experience to the table.

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Columbian Small Cities Reporter