NORTH OLYMPIC PENINSULA RACES — Five in Jefferson County, four in Clallam County compete for county commission seats

Five candidates are contending for a Jefferson County commission seat while four vie for a Clallam County commission position.

Five Port Townsend candidates have filed for the Jefferson County District 1 seat being vacated by Phil Johnson.

Three are Democrats, one is a Republican and one has no party preference.

Cynthia Koan, Kate Dean and Tim Thomas are Democrats. Contractor Jeff Gallant is the sole Republican.

On Friday, Holly Postmus, who filed with no party preference, joined the fray.

In Clallam County, two Republicans, one Democrat and a candidate with no party preference have filed for the District 2 county commission 2 seat.

Randy Johnson of Port Angeles — president of Green Crow Corp., and board chairman of the Economic Development Corp. — filed Friday with no party preference.

He joins Port Angeles Democrat Ron Richards, and Republicans Gabe Rygaard of Sequim and Maggie Roth of Port Angeles in seeking the seat being vacated by Mike Chapman, who is running for a legislative position.

The candidates will face off in the Aug. 2 top-two primary, in which the top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 8 general election regardless of party affiliation.

District 24 contests

Chapman of Port Angeles, who filed as a Democrat; Tammy Ramsay of Hoquiam, also a Democrat; and George Vrable of Port Ludlow are seeking the District 24 Position 1 state representative seat that Kevin Van De Wege now holds.

They also will be in a primary election contest.

Van De Wege, D-Sequim, is aiming for the District 24 state Senate seat now held by Sen. Jim Hargrove, a Hoquiam Democrat, who is retiring.

Also seeking Hargrove’s seat is Danille Turissini of Port Ludlow, who filed her preference as “Independent GOP Party.”

Friday, Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim, picked up a challenger for his District 24 Position 2 seat. John D. Alger of Sequim, who “prefers GOP/Independent Party,” is opposing Tharinger’s bid for reelection.

6th Congressional District

Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, now has five challengers for his 6th Congressional seat.

They are Mike Coverdale of Westport, no party preference; Tyler Myles Vega of Port Townsend, Green Party; Todd A. Bloom of Tacoma, Republican; Stephan Andrew Brodhead of Tacoma, Republican; and Paul L. Nuchims of Manchester, Democrat.

The district includes the North Olympic Peninsula.

Other Clallam races

Incumbent Clallam County Superior Court Judges Erik Rohrer, Christopher Melly and Brian Coughenour also filed for their four-year positions.

Port Angeles lawyer Dave Neupert — who had applied for the judgeship when Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Coughenour in 2015 — filed to run against Coughenour.

Rohrer and Melly are unopposed.

Clallam Public Utility District Commissioner Will Purser of Sequim has filed for reelection to his six-year, Sequim-area District 1 seat.

Werner Buehler of Sequim also has filed for the PUD position.

Other Jefferson races

Filing for a six-year term on the Jefferson County Public Utility District commission earlier this week were incumbent Barney Burke and challenger Jeff Randall.

Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Keith Harper is running for a second four-year term with no opposition.

District 2 Jefferson County Commissioner David Sullivan has no opposition in his bid for a fourth term.

The seat held by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle, is up as well as nine statewide executive offices and three Supreme Court seats.

Statewide offices on the ballot will be governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, commissioner of public lands, superintendent of public instruction and insurance commissioner.

For a complete list of candidates who have filed for election, see the http://tinyurl.com/PDN-jeffcoelections or www.clallam.net.

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