With the recount certified, Des Moines Democrat Dave Upthegrove will advance to take on Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler for Commissioner of Public Lands on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
The Office of the Secretary of State certified results of the mandatory statewide manual recount Wednesday, Sept. 4 of the Aug. 6 primary race. The two candidates with the most votes advance to the general elections from the primary.
The recount indicated a 49-vote margin separating second-place finisher Upthegrove from Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson, who finished third in the contest, according to the Office of the Secretary of State. The margin originally stood at 51 votes. After consolidating the amended results certified by each county canvassing board, Upthegrove gained four votes and Pederson gained six votes.
The primary between Upthegrove (396,300 votes) and Kuehl Pederson (396,249), met the manual recount statutory threshold of fewer than 1,000 votes and less than one-fourth of one percent.
“I am so grateful to the hundreds of volunteers in every corner of the state who helped our campaign cure ballots and observe the recount,” said Upthegrove, a King County Councilmember whose District 5 includes portions of Kent. “Their efforts made this victory possible. I also want to thank the election workers in every county who worked overtime during the hand recount with professionalism and transparency to ensure every vote was accurately counted.”
Variances, such as an overvote or undervote were identified during the manual recount which led to the overall change in the count. These discrepancies were a result of careful examination of voter intent on some ballots. The Office of the Secretary of State and counties within Washington use the established Statewide Standards on What is a Vote, a longstanding standard for determining voter intent when voters’ ballot markings are unclear.
“This recount was a significant undertaking that required meticulous attention to detail to ensure every vote was counted fairly and accurately,” Assistant Secretary of State Kevin McMahan said. “It demonstrates the accuracy and reliability of Washington’s elections, as the vote counting equipment tabulated votes correctly, with the few variances arising from questions about voter intent. I commend all counties for their diligent efforts in conducting a transparent and secure process that reflects the will of the voters.”
Herrera Beutler received 22.03% of the vote (419,297 votes); Upthegrove 20.82% (396,300 votes) and Kuehl Pederson 20.82% (396,249 votes), according to results released Tuesday, Aug. 20 by the Office of the Secretary of State, prior to the recount. Four other Democrats also were in the race.
Despite a close open primary, five Democratic candidates captured approximately 57% of the vote, while the two Republican candidates combined for approximately 43%.
Herrera Beutler, of Camas, is a former Congresswoman from the 3rd District in Southwest Washington. She lost her seat in the 2022 primary.
The lands commissioner leads the state’s wildfire fighting force and manages nearly 6 million acres of public lands – from coastal waters and aquatic reserves, to working forests and farms, commercial developments and recreation areas.
Upthegrove ran unsuccessfully for lands commissioner in 2016. He placed third in the primary election behind Republican Steve McLaughlin and Democrat Hillary Franz. Franz won the general election and was reelected in 2020. This is her final year as lands commissioner.
Ballots for the Nov. 5 general election will be mailed to voters by Friday, Oct. 18.
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