By Marta Murvosh
In a bid to reclaim the Clallam County commission seat he lost four years ago, Republican challenger Phil Kitchel held the lead over incumbent Mike Doherty in Tuesday’s primary.
In the first round of vote counting that continues on Friday, Kitchel had garnered 1,720 votes, or 55.6 percent.
Doherty had 1,373 votes, or 44.4 percent.
No matter what the final outcome, both candidates will face each other again on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
But the primary was seen as an important “beauty contest” that allowed both candidates to gauge how well they appeal to voters.
Only voters in District 3, from west Port Angeles through the West End, voted for Kitchel or Doherty in the primary. Voters countywide will mark ballots in the Nov. 5 election.
In the nonpartisan races for county auditor and county treasurer, incumbents dominated their challengers.
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