No changes in Primary Election leaders; new challengers could come in General

There were no major changes in election results during the second count of local ballots and further counts around the state, although some candidates may be added to the ballot.

In Pacific County, two offices could become a two person race.

While running unopposed in the Primary, Commissioner Mike “Hawk” Runyon and Sheriff Robin Souvenir could gain challengers on the General Election ballot.

For Sheriff, Daniel Garcia announced he was running a write-in campaign for the seat. 

For Commissioner, Jerry Doyle also filed as a declared write-in for the position currently held by Mike “Hawk” Runyon.

Both candidates were not listed on the Primary Ballot and would need to earn 1% of the vote in order to qualify for inclusion on the ballot. 

As of Thursday there were approximately 6% write-ins for Sheriff and 5% for Commissioner. It’s not known if they are for Garcia and Doyle.

The Pacific County Elections Office tells KXRO that final numbers to see if either challenger made it onto the ballot will not be known until certification day.

In Congressional District 3, Joe Kent is gaining on Representative Jaime Hererra Beutler, with a possibility of knocking the incumbent out of the General Election running.

Since the Tuesday results, Kent now holds 21.96% of the vote, still trailing Beutler by over 2000 votes to her 23.28%. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez maintains her lead at 31.09%.

Julie Anderson holds an over 1%, and approximately 15,000 vote, lead over fellow challengers Keith Wagoner and Bob Hagglund for the second spot on the upcoming ballot to challenge incumbent Steve Hobbs. Hobbs has a secure ballot spot with 40.56% of the vote.

Both Lisa Zaborac and JR Streifel earned hundreds of votes since Tuesday, with Zaborac still leading Streifel to challenge Commissioner Vickie Raines in November. Streifel closed the gap between him and Zaborac, but trails by over 8% and is unlikely to make up that ground before certification.

In what is the closest race proximity-wise, Jamie Nichols maintained her lead over husband Jeff Nichols for a PCO seat competition under the same roof.

Ballots will continue to be counted and no results are official until the votes are certified on August 16.