Democratic challenger Mike Briggs has a five-point lead over Republican incumbent Brandon Vick in the 18th Legislative District’s Position 1 race after Tuesday’s primary, but plenty of votes remain in play heading into the Nov. 4 general election.
Briggs gathered 7,556 votes (39.53 percent) while Vick earned 6,552 votes (34.27 percent). John Ley, another Republican, was the choice of 4,984 voters. And at 26 percent of Tuesday’s Position 1 turnout, those voters who favored Ley will have a lot to say about the Nov. 4 ballot.
“That’s the telling feature,” Briggs said Tuesday night in an election-night gathering at the county’s Public Service Building.
“Some will go my way; some will go to him,” Briggs said, referring to Vick.
Vick, who is running for his second two-year term, expects to have a difference-making edge.
After Vick and Ley appeared at forums and other activities during the primary campaign, “I don’t think the ideas of the two candidates were far apart,” Vick said. “I have to imagine John’s supporters will be my supporters.”
Particularly, Vick continued, “because of what I’ve done the last two years — what I campaigned on and put in practice.”
Briggs said he’s put almost that much time into the Position 1 race himself.
“I’ve been working on this for two years,” Briggs said.
Pike, Winningham
In the 18th Legislative District’s Position 2 race, Republican incumbent Liz Pike had a lead of almost 13 points over Democratic challenger Maureen Winningham. They were the only candidates to file and both figured to advance. They still had to appear on the primary ballot because the seat is a partisan position.
With 10,813 votes, Pike had 56.29 percent of the vote; Winningham had 8,355 votes, for 43.50 percent.
In election-night interviews on CVTV, both candidates said they would be trying to ease the polarization that has hampered the lawmaking process in Olympia.
“The reason I got bills passed is that I reach out to the other side of the aisle,” Pike said on CVTV. She said there are Democrats who appreciate the relationships she has built, and “I will build more. I have a track record of working across the aisle.”
Winningham also cited the problems that happen when conversations stop because of party affiliations. The nation has seen polarization at the federal level, and Washington residents are seeing it in Olympia, she said. With her background in conflict resolution, Winningham said, she could make a difference.
Tom Vogt: 360-735-4558; www.twitter.com/col_history; tom.vogt@columbian.com.
