PORT ANGELES — Two Republicans, Jaime Herrera Beutler and Sue Kuehl Pederson, lead a pack of seven candidates for state Commissioner of Public Lands.
Herrera Beutler, a former Congresswoman from Southwest Washington, totaled 221,678 votes, or 22.6 percent, statewide in initial returns Tuesday night. She held a slight lead on Pederson, who garnered 198,343 votes, or 20.3 percent.
The two appeared to have enough votes to advance to the Nov. 5 general election.
Dave Upthegrove, a Democrat, was the next-closest candidate with 194,412 votes, or 19.9 percent.
He was followed by Patrick DePoe, a Democrat (129,467 votes, 13.2 percent); Allen Lebovitz, a Democrat (105,696, 10.8 percent); Kevin Van De Wege, a Democrat (80,189, 8.2 percent); and Jeralee Anderson, a Democrat (48,521, 5 percent).
Van De Wege, the former 24th Legislative District state senator who lives at Lake Sutherland, had the most votes out of the group of candidates in Clallam County with 3,527, or 26.9 percent. He also carried Jefferson County with 1,641 votes, or 24.8 percent.
The state Commissioner of Public Lands leads the Department of Natural Resources.