LONGVIEW — Veteran 20th District legislator Ed Orcutt on Tuesday sailed easily into the general election with 55.8 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s primary election, but Democratic challenger Brennan Bailey put up a fight in the historically conservative district, receiving 35.3 percent of the vote.
Independent Mark Smith of Toutle received 2,048 votes, or 8.8 percent, and will not move on to the November general election.
“I kind of expected to be in that general range, so I’m pleased with that number,” Orcutt, R-Kalama, said Tuesday night. “I’ve worked so hard for the citizens of this district. I think the people know that I’m standing up for them.”
Orcutt, 55, is in his 17th year as a state legislator. He ran unopposed in 2016 and drew only one challenger in 2014 and 2012. The 20th District includes parts of Cowlitz, Lewis, Clark and Thurston counties. Lewis County is among the most conservative counties in Western Washington, giving anti-tax Republicans like Orcutt a firm base.
With nearly 4,800 more votes than opponent Bailey, Orcutt said he didn’t expect to change anything about his campaign as he moves into the general election.
“The way I look at it is, I had two opponents and I’m almost at 56 percent. I feel good with those numbers,” he said.
Bailey, a 28-year-old first-grade teacher, said he plans to knock on 30,000 more doors before facing Orcutt again in the general election.
“The plan is just to keep getting out there and talking to more people,” said Bailey, a Democrat. “A lot of the politicians get isolated and listen to the donors and the people in Olympia and the party. We’re not about the party. We’re about the district. We’re going to keep on the course of listening to the people in the district to see what they want and keep working towards that.”
Bailey, a first-time candidate, added that he would like to see voter turnout as high as 55 percent for the general election. Turnout in Cowlitz County was about 25 percent Tuesday night but will grow to about 33 percent as more than 5,000 ballots remain to be counted.
Smith, who owns the Eco Park Resort in Toutle, and ran as an independent, said he was pleased with the primary results even though he won’t move on to the general election because he was able to advocate for better management of natural resources.
“Mr. Bailey has been running for over a year. Mr. Orcutt has been a representative for 17 years and I decided to run 90 days ago,” Smith said with a laugh. “I’m pretty happy with the results, actually.”
