First-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, a Port Angeles native, has retained his 6th District Congressional seat by handily defeating Republican challenger Marty McClendon.

Kilmer, a 40-year-old Gig Harbor Democrat, was ahead of McClendon, 47, also of Gig Harbor, with 91,606 votes, 63 percent, to McClendon’s 53,808 votes, or 37 percent, in the initial count of ballots Tuesday, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Kilmer, seeking his second two-year term, also was ahead in Clallam County, with 10,105 votes, or 57 percent, to McClendon’s 7,614 votes, or 43 percent.

Kilmer led in Jefferson County, with 9,102 votes, or 71 percent, to McClendon’s 3,761 votes, or 29 percent.

The 6th District includes more than 405,000 registered voters and encompasses Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Mason, Kitsap and Thurston counties, and part of Tacoma in Pierce County.

McClendon could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Kilmer released a prepared statement.

“I’m grateful that folks have chosen to hire me again,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do. There are still too many people out of work and too many families who are feeling squeezed.”

The Clallam County Auditor’s Office counted 18,242 ballots Tuesday out of 46,908 issued for a voter turnout of 38.9 percent, Auditor Patty Rosand said.

Rosand received 3,952 ballots in the mail and in drop boxes on Tuesday. Those were not counted, but brought voter turnout to 47.13 percent.

She expects 7,000 more ballots to come in by Wednesday.

The next count of the approximately 11,000 ballots has been scheduled for Friday, Rosand said.

The Jefferson County Auditor’s Office counted 13,402 ballots Tuesday out of 22,207 issued for a voter turnout of 58.64 percent.

Auditor Donna Eldridge expects about 2,000 more ballots to come in later this week.

The next count has been scheduled for about 2 p.m. Thursday unless staff can process all the ballots that come in Wednesday, in which case a count will be done that day, Eldridge said.

The position pays $174,000 a year.

McClendon, a self-employed real estate management broker at Morrison House Sotheby’s International Realty in Gig Harbor and a pastor, has never held elective political office.

McClendon unsuccessfully ran against Kilmer in 2010 for Kilmer’s 26th District state Senate seat.

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.