U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, and Democrat Carolyn Long were locked in a close race according to first returns released Tuesday night. The four-term incumbent held a narrow early lead, although thousands of ballots remain to be counted in days to come.
Here’s the kind of race it is: the leader flipped twice between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., according to results posted on the Secretary of State’s website. As was the case in the primary, Long slightly led Herrera Beutler in Clark County, the district’s largest, but the Republican had a 10,000-vote lead across the entire district, which encompasses all or part of eight of Washington’s 39 counties. The margin was 52.25 percent for Herrera Beutler, 47.75 percent for Long.
In Clark County Council races, Democrat Eric Holt led Republican Eileen Quiring by 1,200 votes in the race for council chair, and Republican Julie Olson easily won re-election to her seat. In District 1, Democrat Temple Lentz defeated incumbent Republican Jeanne Stewart, the last holdover from the old county commissioner days when candidates were elected countywide.
Other apparent winners Tuesday night:
18th Legislative District: Republican Larry Hoff, a retired credit union executive, led former Vancouver school board member Kathy Gillespie in a reliably Republican district. It was a reversal from the August primary results for a seat currently held by Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, who did not seek re-election. In the other race, incumbent Republican Rep. Brandon Vick defeated Chris Thobaben.
