Paschall, Brackett lead in Clallam Public Utility District race

Published 8:25 pm Tuesday, August 4, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Rick Paschall and Randy Brackett were the top two candidates for a Clallam County Public Utility District seat as initial returns in the primary election were posted Tuesday night.

Paschall, the former District 2 PUD commissioner who resigned in 2023, was leading the District 2 race at 41.99 percent (1,306 votes), and Brackett, a professional engineer, had 31.22 percent (971 votes).

Clallam County registered an initial 20 percent voter turnout, with 11,787 ballots cast out of 59,842 registered voters, according to the Secretary of State. The next tally was expected to be updated by 8 p.m. Wednesday.

In the PUD race, Paschall and Brackett were the top two out of five candidates. John W. “Jack” Smith was sitting third at 10.06 percent (313 votes), while Timothy Dalton had 8.52 percent (265 votes) and Missi Baker had 7.94 percent (247 votes).

For Clallam County commissioner, Jake Seegers, an Independent, was leading incumbent Democrat Mike French with 52.08 percent of the vote (1,402 votes). French had 47.66 percent (1,283 votes). Both will advance to the Nov. 3 general election for the District 3 seat.

Meanwhile, the Clallam County Fire District 2 Proposition 1, which seeks a 10-year emergency medical services levy at a rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, was being rejected. In a measure that requires a 60 percent supermajority to pass, Proposition 1 had received 55.18 percent (682 votes) to 44.82 percent (554 votes).

Two Democratic precinct committee officer positions also are on the primary ballot. Judith M. Morris was leading Bradley Nemo Callaway for the Port Angeles 101 position with 65.38 percent of the vote (68 votes) to 34.62 percent (36 votes). Brenda S. Carpenter was leading Brian Pruiett for the Blue Mountain 209 position with 77.65 percent of the vote (66 votes) to 22.35 percent (19 votes).