In their bid for the state Legislature, three Democratic candidates were getting the party’s nod to move ahead to the Nov. 2 general election ballot, early vote returns showed Tuesday night.
10th District
Nancy Conard appeared to be winning over Gina Bull in the race for state House of Representatives Position 1.
The seat was vacated when Barry Sehlin, R-Oak Harbor, chose not to run for re-election. Conard will take on Chris Strow, a Republican from Clinton who ran unopposed in the primary.
“I think, quite frankly, a lot of us believed that she was going to win,” Strow said of Conard.
Strow, a former aide to retired U.S. Rep. Jack Metcalf, said the key political differences were that he has taken a clear stand in support of tort reform and fiscal accountability, including a pledge not to raise taxes.
Conard, 52, mayor of Coupeville for nine years, ran on her record of civic involvement, including four years on the town council. She could not be reached immediately for comment.
Bull, 45, cited her experience as a lobbyist in Olympia for the public school employees union.
Their positions on education – to get more funding into the classroom – were similar. Conard put a higher priority on health care costs and access, while Bull said education was her top issue.
21st District
Mary Helen Roberts was leading Mike Huisman by a wide margin in the state House race for Position 1.
“I think it’s because of how hard this campaign worked,” said Roberts, of Edmonds. “I’m the one who got started early and raised money and recruited volunteers and knocked on doors and communicated with the voters.”
Roberts has served eight years on the Edmonds Community College Board of Trustees and has chaired the Children’s Campaign Fund.
Roberts’ focus in her campaign was adequate funding for education and social services, particularly those that serve children.
Roberts will take on Republican Roger Wilson of Edmonds and Libertarian Stephen Cornell of Lynnwood in the Nov. 2 general election.
“I’ve got a bag full of real good things I want to do,” Wilson said. “I just have to get down there (to Olympia) before I can do them.”
39th District
Susanne Olson, of Monroe, had a comfortable lead over John Painter, of Marysville, for the state Senate race.
Olson will face incumbent Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, who was uncontested in the Republican primary.
Olson, in her first attempt at elected office, said her grass-roots campaign paid off. “We tried to get a lot of signs out for name recognition,” she said. Her inclusive and collaborative style will differentiate her from the incumbent, Olson said. “I feel like I represent mainstream thinking of both parties,” she said.
Stevens said she is confident in her experience and reputation as a state legislator. “I have already established myself as a grass-roots candidate,” she said.
Olson, 58, a high school teacher, cited education as her top issue, saying the state needs to provide more funding for public schools, where class sizes are too large to ensure a quality education.
Both Olson and Painter said the state needs to generate new revenue sources. While Painter declined to explain how, Olson cited the development of new industries, such as biotechnology as a possibility.
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