Swannack, Kinzer post big leads

Art Swannack and Dean Kinzer appeared poised to join Whitman County’s governing commission, and President Barack Obama won re-election despite losing the county to Mitt Romney in Tuesday night’s initial election returns.

Tuesday night’s returns included 10,363 of the 21,272 ballots issued by the county’s elections department, good for a 48.72 percent turnout.

Former Congressman Jay Inslee, who lost to Rob McKenna in Whitman County with just 44 percent of the vote, notched a slim 40,000 state lead over McKenna for governor in the state returns.

Whitman County voters went along with the state in choosing to legalize marijuana for those over 21 years old, though the drug will still be illegal under federal law.

In other voter measures, the county decided to restrict legislative tax increases, deny charter schools and restrict same-sex couples from marrying.

Statewide, voters were in favor of gay marriage and charter schools.

In the county commissioner races, Republican Dean Kinzer of Ewartsville appeared to have ousted Democrat Pat O’Neill of Johnson for the District 2 seat, with 5,684 voters opting for Kinzer for 60 percent of the vote to O’Neill’s 3,709, 39 percent.

“It’s going to be crunch time over the next couple months, but I’m really excited to get going on it,” Kinzer said of his apparent election. “I’ve got a steep learning curve ahead of me, but I plan to meet with the department heads and elected officials and start to smooth the waters that have been roughed up a bit over the last few years.”

Kinzer lost to O’Neill in several Pullman precincts but carried every other precinct outside of the county’s urban center.

O’Neill Tuesday night declined to concede, noting the more than 10,000 ballots remain uncounted.

“I guess I’ve really gotta pick it up with the ballots still out,” he said.

In the District 1 race, Art Swannack of Lamont staked a lead with 4,269 votes for 55 percent over Rosalia fire chief Bill Tensfeld’s 3,359 votes, good for 43 percent.

“It’s a very nice lead. I’m very happy and thankful to the people who voted for me,” Swannack said from his election night post at the county GOP headquarters in Pullman. “It’ll be good to get in there and get to work.”

If the initial results hold up in subsequent counts, Swannack will replace incumbent Greg Partch, who was ousted in the August primary.

Tensfeld noted the large number of ballots that remain to be counted, but admitted the trend would have to shift dramatically for the new votes to put him into office.

“It’d be nothing short of a miracle. But stranger things have happened,” he said. “I guess we just hurry up and wait for the final word.”

Elections supervisor Debbie Hooper said her staff has about 3,000 ballots on hand they have not yet been able to count. Hooper said the next count will likely be today, Thursday.

Karen Bafus, elections technician, said Tuesday’s tally did not include ballots received in the mail Tuesday, nor those dropped at box locations in Pullman Tuesday. She added more ballots postmarked Nov. 6 or earlier will likely come into the elections office Wednesday and Thursday.

In Tekoa, voters gave 75 percent approval to the formation of a new hospital district to fund the town’s clinic. Elected to oversee the new district were Mike Bogenreif, Lori Hay, Steve Haxton, Abby Smith and David Fletcher.

“It’s a good thing for the town,” Coroner Pete Martin, who serves the Tekoa clinic as a physicians assistant, said of the vote. “It’s really going to provide some stability long-term.”

Martin reiterated he had no immediate plans to retire soon.

At the top of the ballot, Whitman County voters cast 5,225 votes for the GOP Presidential ticket of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan for 51 percent over President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who received 4,704, votes for 46 percent.

In Washington returns, Obama received 1,062,561 votes for 55 percent while Romney garnered 822,611 votes for 43 percent. Nationally, Obama was given a second term, having been unofficially credited with 303 electoral votes to Romney’s 206.

Inslee held a 51 percent edge to McKenna’s 49 percent in the first state count, with the Democrat receiving 975,340 votes to the Republican’s 925,131. McKenna received 5,664 votes in Whitman County for 56 percent while Inslee polled 4,400 votes for 44 percent.

Local voters followed the district in re-electing Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who received 62 percent of the district vote and 58 percent of the county vote over challenger’s Rich Cowan’s 39 percent district total and 42 percent county return.

Senator Maria Cantwell received 1,129,609 votes for 59 percent across the state while her Republican challenger Michael Baumgartner drew 771,757 for 41 percent. Here, Baumgartner held a 5,107 to 5,009 vote edge for 50 percent.

Initiative 502 to legalize marijuana garnered 52 percent of the vote to pass here 5,225 to 4,905 and passed statewide with 55 percent of the vote, 1,056,355 to 849,919.

Referendum 74 to legalize same-sex marriages failed in the county 4,891 to 5,172 but passed statewide 985,308 to 917,197.

Public funding of charter schools was voted down in Initiative 1240 locally, with 5,440 against and 4,420 in favor. Statewide, the measure earned 952,279 votes in favor and 906,101 votes against for 51 percent passage.

Funding measures in towns and taxing districts across the county received overwhelming approval from voters.

Full results of state and local races, including a precinct-by-precinct breakdown of major races in Whitman County, are on pages 3 and 4.