PORT ANGELES — Incumbent Randy Johnson and Port Angeles mayor Kate Dexter will compete for the Clallam County District 2 commissioner position.
A third candidate, Anders Tron-Haukebo, will not advance, according to the first count of primary election ballots Tuesday night.
Johnson, an Independent, led with 54.86 percent of the vote, or 2,271 votes. He said he’s “obviously pleased with the outcome,” but there’s “still a lot of work to do.”
“We are just at the beginning point,” he said. “There’s still a long way between now and the November election.”
Dexter, D-Port Angeles, received 41.33 percent of the vote, or 1,711 votes.
Given that about 9,000 votes remain to be counted, Dexter said “where I end up in relation to Randy still remains to be seen.”
However, she said it appears she will be competing against Johnson in the general election.
“I look forward to a good campaign with him,” Dexter said.
Johnson said his and Dexter’s messages are “probably very similar” with their shared focus on affordable housing, childcare, fiscal integrity and job creation.
Dexter said she hopes voter turnout increases, given the importance of engaging in the democratic process.
“We’ve had a pretty dismal voter turnout thus far,” she said.
Only voters who live in the commissioner district vote on candidates during the primaries. However, during the general election, anyone from Clallam County can cast their ballot for the seat.
Given that, Dexter said she’s going to focus on connecting with voters outside of District 2 between now and November.
Tron-Haukebo of Sequim received 3.36 percent of the vote, or 139 votes.
Tron-Haukebo said he was disappointed with the results, although he was thankful for the people who signed his petition to be on the ballot.
Tron-Haukebo said he doedsn’t have any future political aspirations other than continuing to serve as a precinct committee officer.
Tron-Haukebo said he hopes whoever wins the election will find some solutions for housing in Clallam County and introduce retention bonuses for law enforcement officers.
District 2 commissioner is the only Clallam County commissioner seat up for election this year. The District 3 seat will be up for election in 2026, and the District 1 seat will be on the ballot in 2027.
The general election is on Nov. 5.
________
Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
Kate Dexter.