Handy in slight lead over Kinzer

Tom Handy has less than 1 percent lead over Dean Kinzer for County Commissioner 2 seat

ALEXANDRIA OSBORNE, Editor-in-chief

Tom Handy has a small lead over Dean Kinzer for the County Commissioner 2 seat, according to recent election results.

Tom Handy has a little more than 50 percent of the votes. Incumbent Dean Kinzer, his opponent, has over 49 percent of the votes, according to the Whitman County general election website.

Incumbent Art Swannack, who is running unopposed, has almost 94 percent of the votes for the County Commissioner 1 seat, according to the website.

Incumbent Gary J. Libey, the Whitman County Superior Court Judge Position 1 candidate, is running unopposed as well. Libey has 97 percent of the votes, according to the website. 

Over 56 percent of the county voted to approve Referendum 90, which will require schools to provide comprehensive sexual health education to middle and high school students, according to the website. Almost 44 percent of the county voted against the bill.

Incumbent Secretary of State Kim Wyman received 56 percent of the county’s votes, while her opponent, Gael Tarleton, received almost 44 percent of the votes, according to the website. 

Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal received about 53 percent of the county’s votes, according to the website. His opponent, Maia Espinoza, received a little over 46 percent of the votes. 

Incumbent Jay Inslee has 51 percent of the votes for Washington state governor, according to the website. His opponent, Loren Culp, has 48 percent of the votes.

Denny Heck has 43 percent of the county vote for Washington state lieutenant governor, according to the website. His opponent, Marko Liias, received 36 percent of the votes. 

About 53 percent of the county voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for U.S. president and vice president. About 43 percent voted for incumbent Donald Trump and Mike Pence, according to the website. 

As of 3:41 p.m. Nov. 10, 19,283 of the ballots had been counted. There are about 1,500 uncounted ballots, according to the website. The results will be updated at 9 p.m. Nov. 13.