5 takeaways from the primary election

At the election night party for 49th Legislative District candidate Alishia Topper, she and her volunteers whooped and cheered when they saw the news of Madore’s loss — even before the Democrat saw that she was moving on to the general election.

“No more Madore!” shouted Topper volunteer Erica Marchbank, pumping her fist.

To be certain, there were those who mourned Madore’s loss — primarily those still permitted to comment on his Facebook “newspaper” page.

But between Madore’s loss — 75 percent of voters in his district chose either Democrat Tanisha Harris or Republican John Blom — and the responsive outcry on election night, it’s clear that county voters are looking forward to a new face on the county council.

2. County leaders will be younger, more educated

The Clark County council is on the brink of becoming better educated, younger and more diverse.

Neither of the outgoing Clark County councilors, Republicans David Madore or Tom Mielke, earned a college degree. But all four candidates vying for their seats did. In District 3, Republican John Blom holds a master’s in history from Ohio University, and Democrat Tanisha Harris earned a bachelor’s in social science from Washington State University. In District 4, Republican Eileen Quiring obtained a bachelor’s in human resources management from George Fox University, and Democrat Roman Battan earned a bachelor’s in business administration at WSU.

The candidates are also, in general, younger. At 68, Quiring is the oldest of the four and more closely matches Madore, 65, and Mielke, 73, in age. But Blom, 32, Harris, 40, and Battan, 35, would be the youngest councilors on the board.

And Harris, a black woman who in 2001 received the YWCA Val Joshua Racial Justice Award, could be the first person of color on the Clark County council.

3. Inslee taps into Vancouver Energy

The fate of the nation’s largest oil-by-rail terminal proposed for Vancouver could ultimately be up to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee. 

And it’s possible project opponents noticed. 

In the 2012 primary, Inslee trailed Republican Rob McKenna by 12 percentage points in Clark County. This year, Inslee bested the best-known Republican, Seattle Port Commissioner Bill Bryant, by 10 percentage points.

“It’s a pretty unheard-of swing,” Jamal Raad, spokesman for the Washington State Democratic party, said of Inslee’s 22 percentage point gain in Clark County. 

Of course, Inslee now has the advantage of being the incumbent. 

Jim Luce, a Clark County man who previously chaired the state energy facilities siting advisory council, said Inslee’s local success could be due to more than his presumed opposition to the Vancouver Energy project. 

“The governor has significant issues in Clark County, including the Interstate 5 Bridge, the transportation package and the oil terminal, which is not just a Southwest Washington issue, but a statewide issue,” Luce said, noting that Clark County normally leans toward Republicans. “My guess is those issues would impact the electorate in November.” 

The Legislature intentionally made the decision long ago to make sure the governor has the ultimate say over large energy projects — they wanted political accountability. 

“So it’s a political decision,” Luce said. “The governor will follow the law, obviously, but in the end any …  decision is a political decision.”

If anti-oil sentiment was behind some of Inslee’s support, it didn’t extend down the ballot. Democrat Don Orange, a vocal opponent to the crude oil terminal, was knocked of the race for a 17th District House seat. But he captured more votes than port commission President Jerry Oliver, a well-known champion of the project.

4. Turnout matters

Democrat Tim Probst’s loss to Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, by 76 votes in 2012 still stings. Now Benton is out; he didn’t choose to file for re-election.

Still, it’s clear that once again every vote will matter in the race for 17th Legislative District Senate.

“People aren’t being complacent,” said Nick Ande, Probst’s campaign spokesman. 

The day of the primary, volunteers for the Probst campaign made 5,000 calls. 

“People are very pumped up because of how close it was last time,” Ande said. “Everyone knows the stakes are high in this campaign.” 

Results tabulated on Friday showed Probst trailing Republican Rep. Lynda Wilson by 28 votes after taking a 212-vote lead on election night. 

The outcome in November could decide which party controls the state Senate in Olympia for the next two years. 

So far, the two have raised the largest combined total of any local legislative race. On primary night, Probst had raised $199,460 and Wilson had brought in $235,920. 

Think your vote doesn’t matter? This is the race that should make you rethink that notion.

Some political junkies speculated that if Probst had won in 2012, the now-defunct Columbia River Crossing would be under construction and Democrats would have controlled the state’s upper chamber. Whether you wanted to see a new Interstate 5 bridge or are happy it failed, the point illustrates that every vote will count. 

5. Millennials contribute to discourse

Sen. Bernie Sanders won’t be the next president of the United States, but his candidacy helped shape this year’s political dialogue. Several of the Vancouver millennials inspired by the Vermont senator to run for office this election are also out of the race, and others appear to face long odds in November. 

But, like Sanders, their participation has left its mark. 

“We all win when people step up and participate; it’s the best thing for the community,” said Democrat Kathy Gillespie, a longtime Vancouver school board member who defeated political newcomer Ilana Brown, 21,  in the race for the 17th District House. “Ilana and I are going to sit down and have coffee and talk about her future plans and my future plans. I hope she and all the other young candidates stay involved.” 

Not long ago, millennials — defined as having been born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s — were cast as reluctant to run for office and categorized as generally finding elected officials untrustworthy.

This election cycle, five young Democrats from Vancouver, inspired by Sanders, decided to run. 

Kaitlyn Beck, 20, who said Sanders “catalyzed a movement,” will move on to the general election in a 49th District House race but trails incumbent Democratic Rep. Sharon Wylie by a significant margin.

Justin Oberg, 23, who will face incumbent Rep. Brandon Vick, R-Felida, in November, captured about 32 percent of the vote to Vicks’ 58 percent. 

Oberg said he was pleased with the results and remains optimistic he will emerge victorious in November. But regardless, he said, “this doesn’t end in November. It’s building a group of people who are passionate about changing their district, their county, the state. It’s about everyone building a better future for all of us.”