PORT ANGELES — State Sens. Emily Randall and Drew MacEwen lead the 6th Congressional District in the race for U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer’s open seat in November’s general election.
Ballots tallied Tuesday night showed Randall, D-Bremerton, ahead with 33.28 percent of the vote and MacEwen, R-Union, with 30.49 percent. Hilary Franz, the state Commissioner of Public Lands, sat in third place with 25.66 percent. Trailing were Republican Janis Clark (7.74 percent) and Independent Graham Ralston from Port Angeles (2.76 percent).
In Clallam County, the two top vote-getters were nearly tied, with Randall picking up 29.35 percent of the vote and MacEwen picking up 29.19.
They were followed by Franz with 27.17 percent, Clark with 8.1 percent and Ralston with 6.14 percent.
Randall represents the 26th Legislative District, which includes the southern Kitsap Peninsula stretching from Bremerton and Port Orchard to Gig Harbor.
Randall grew up in Port Orchard and was first elected to the state Legislature in 2018 and elected chair of the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee in 2022.
MacEwen represents the 35th Legislative District, which includes Mason and parts of Thurston and Kitsap counties. He was elected to the House in 2012 and won his Senate seat in 2022. His is the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee and serves on the Transportation, Business and Financial Services, and Labor and Commerce committees.
MacEwen said he and Randall know each other well from the Senate.
“We had a cordial working relationship and we’ve been friendly on the campaign trail, but our policy differences are significant,” he said.
MacEwen said those include the economy, the military and immigration reform.
MacEwen’s campaign raised just $153,160 — far less than Randall and Franz, who each raised more than $1 million.
He said it was evidence that money doesn’t necessarily buy elections.
“When you see what they spent, it clearly shows that you can’t buy this race,” said MacEwen, a Navy veteran who is a managing partner in an investment firm, Mountain Lakes Capital Management. “It also shows how one would govern, you just throw money at everything.”
Nonetheless, his campaign did plan an “ambitious fundraising agenda for August.”
Randall was unable to be reached for comment.
Franz dropped out of the gubernatorial race and switched to campaigning for Congress when Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, announced last November he would not seek a seventh term. He subsequently endorsed Franz.
The 6th District seat has been in Democratic hands for nearly 60 years. The last Republican to serve was Thor Tollefson, from 1947-1965.
Results are unofficial until certified by counties on Aug. 20 and the Secretary of State by Aug. 23.
________
Reporter Paula Hunt
