Central Washington legislative race roundup

(The Center Square) - Just like that, the 2024 election cycle is over, with new and returning faces leading the nation and central Washington.

The region is home to Tri-Cities and six legislative districts. Each consists of a state senator and two representatives. While the Legislature currently holds a Democrat majority of 58-40 in the House of Representatives and 29-20 in the Senate, Republicans control every district in central Washington.

The August primary election solidified the final two candidates in each race who faced off on Tuesday in this year’s general election. Republicans managed to maintain control over the region without letting Democrats flip a single seat in the state Senate or House.

Some races are too close to call; this article is based on Tuesday night’s initial results. Readers can find updated results for these and other races on the Secretary of State’s website.

8th, 14th & 16th Legislative Districts – Tri-Cities

Central Washington’s biggest city, or collection of, is the Tri-Cities, which includes Kennewick, Pasco and Richland. However, due to recent redistricting, the three are split between Districts 8, 14 and 16.

The 8th Legislative District, the smallest of the three, saw both of its House Republicans up for reelection succeed. Incumbent Rep. Stephanie Barnard ran unopposed to secure another term in the House of Representatives along with her peer, Rep. April Connors.

Connors faced competition across the aisle but beat Democrat challenger John Christenson with 70.7% of the vote. Sen. Matt Boehnke isn’t up for reelection yet, meaning District 8 will continue under the complete control of the Washington State Republican Party.

In District 14, all three seats were up for grabs, but one race ended with a shift in leadership.

Incumbent Republican Sen. Curtis King secured another term, beating Democrat Maria Beltran with 56.69% of the vote. However, due to Rep. Gina Mosbrucker leaving for a congressional race and the redistricting process that moved legislators around, District 14 will see new House members.

Republican Gloria Mendoza prevented Democrat Chelsea Dimas from flipping one of the district's House seats, pulling ahead with 57.38% of the vote on Tuesday. Republicans will also retain the other seat, with Deb Manjarrez leading against Democrat Ana Ruiz Kennedy with 54.74% of the vote.

All three of District 16’s leadership were up for reelection this cycle, with Republicans also holding firm there, maintaining control over each seat.

Republican Incumbent Sen. Perry Dozier beat Democrat challenger Kari Isaacson with 64.63% of the vote. Rep. Mark Klicker also secured another term, defeating Democrat Linda Gunshefski with 65.46% of the vote. Rep. Skyler Rude beat Democrat Craig R Woodward with 66.93% of the vote.

15th Legislative District

District 15, which encompasses the Yakima Valley, was also affected by the redistricting. The process moved Sen. Nikki Torres into the territory of District 16, but she’ll continue in her current position for the next two years until wrapping up her first term; then, she’ll have a chance to run in her new area.

While Torres is here to stay, for now, the district will see a new face. District 14’s Republican Rep. Chris Corry will now represent District 15, beating Chase Foster with 73.37% of the vote. Meanwhile, former Republican Rep. Jeremie Dufault is back for another term.

Dufault previously served District 15 but was unseated during the initial redistricting process; however, he's back in his old district due to changes in the new map. When the ballots closed Tuesday night, he led against Republican Rich Bright with 72.4% of the vote.

12th & 13th Legislative Districts

North of the Tri-Cities and Yakima Valley is District 13, extending across much of Grant and Kittitas County. Both Republican incumbents, Rep. Tom Dent and Rep. Alex Ybarra, ran unopposed, securing another term in the House. Republican Sen. Judy Warnick was not up for reelection this year.

Above District 13 sits District 12, which covers Chelan County and portions of King and Snohomish County. It is the only district among the six to overlap with a significant part of western Washington.

All three seats in the region were up for grabs this November. Like others around the state, Sen. Brad Hawkins left office with his eyes set on a local race. Republican Rep. Keith Goehner gave up his seat in the House for a shot in the Senate, opening the position for a potential Democratic challenger.

While Goehner beat Democrat Jim Mayhew to keep District 12’s seat with the Republicans, garnering 55.63% of the vote, Republican Brian Burnett, former Chelan County sheriff, prevented Democrat Heather Koellen from flipping one of the district’s House seats to blue, leading with 53.01% of the vote on Tuesday.

Republican incumbent Mike Steele did manage to secure another term in the House, coming out on top of Republican challenger Daniel Scott with 63.58% of the vote.

Editorial Note: This article reflects the Secretary of State’s immediate unofficial results as of 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Several races are too close to call, with the state still needing to process at least 790,000 ballots over the coming days. Readers can find updated results on the SOS’s website.