Quiring, Lentz lead county council races

Conservative Republican Eileen Quiring took a lead in the race for Clark County Council chair, potentially imperiling the re-election prospects for incumbent Marc Boldt, an independent.

In the District 1 race, newcomer Temple Lentz received a slightly larger share of the vote than the two seasoned politicians she was facing.

Tuesday’s initial count shows Quiring, who currently represents District 4 on the council, leading with 26,028 votes or 37 percent. Eric Holt, a Democrat who’s never held political office, received 16,984 or 24 percent. Boldt received 16,010 votes, or nearly 23 percent.

Under the state’s primary system, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.

“Of the three places I could be, this is a good one,” said Lentz, a Democrat who noted that she had to work hard to compete with the decades of name recognition her opponents enjoy. “We really didn’t know what to expect.”

Moeller said that he was surprised by the vote total and thought that there would be a clear winner. He also said that he wasn’t ready to concede until more votes had been counted. More results are expected Wednesday afternoon; an estimated 27,000 ballots remain to be counted countywide.

“It’s too early to tell,” Moeller said shortly after the initial count had been posted.

Stewart was elected county commissioner in 2014 on a countywide vote. Since her election, the county implemented its home rule charter, changing the commission to a district-based council. As a result, Stewart faced a much more urban and Democratic-leaning district.

Stewart said she was surprised by the closeness of the initial vote count, but added that she had “an excellent showing” given the district’s liberal bent. She also said she realizes that if she advances to the general election, she will be facing a difficult race.

“This is going to take a lot of thought and strategy, and I understand the odds are difficult,” she said. “But nothing is insurmountable.”

Although candidates for the Clark County Council District 2 race appeared on the primary ballot, the election won’t be settled until November. The initial vote count shows incumbent Republican Clark County Councilor Julie Olson in a strong position with 12,963 votes or 77 percent of the vote. Her Republican challenger, Elisabeth Veneman, received 3,019 votes, 18 percent of the vote.