Republican Rep. Vicki Kraft has inched ahead of Democrat Tanisha Harris in the race for the 17th Legislative District House seat.
According to ballot returns updated by the Clark County Elections Office late Thursday afternoon, Kraft is winning with 50.31 percent of the vote to 49.69 percent for Harris. The margin is 482 ballots.
Around 6,000 ballots remain uncounted in the 17th District and could swing the race, should they shift back in Harris’ favor. Across Clark County, 19,500 votes still need to be tallied.
The latest figures are a reverse of election night, when Harris was leading Kraft by a margin of 1.5 percent. An update Wednesday showed the incumbent lawmaker making modest gains, though Harris was still leading.
This race may inspire a sense of deja vu among 17th District voters. In 2018, when Harris ran against Kraft for the first time, the race was equally close. Kraft ultimately prevailed by a 859-vote margin and headed to Olympia for a second term.
In the race for the district’s Senate seat, incumbent Sen. Lynda Wilson, a Republican, continues to solidify her lead over Democratic challenger Daniel Smith. She now leads Smith with 53.68 percent of the vote to his 46.19 percent, or a difference of 5,761 ballots. In order for him to pull ahead, the Democrat would need to win virtually all of the district’s uncounted votes.
The 17th Legislative District encompasses east Vancouver, the southern region of Battle Ground and parts of unincorporated Clark County.
