PORT ANGELES — Jim McEntire claimed victory Thursday in his bid to become the next Clallam County commissioner.
The 61-year-old Sequim Republican was confident enough in his lead to fax in his notice of resignation as a Port of Port Angeles commissioner after Thursday’s second count of ballots in Tuesday’s general election.
His opponent, Linda Barnfather, 48, said a late-game comeback is within the realm of possibility.
“I do not think my opponent’s lead is solidified,” Barnfather, a Sequim Democrat, said in an email.
McEntire maintained his election-day lead over Barnfather after the Clallam County Auditor’s Office on Thursday processed 3,591 ballots that arrived Tuesday.
McEntire led Barnfather by nearly 4 percentage points with 51.93 percent of 20,347 ballots cast.
The official scorecard reads 10,566 votes for McEntire and 9,781 votes for Barnfather.
McEntire held a 52.06 percent to 47.94 percent lead on election night.
“It seems to me our voters have responded well to our campaign message of keeping taxes level and doing what we can do to push the economy along,” McEntire said Thursday.
Barnfather didn’t agree.
“It’s apparent that nearly 50 percent of the voters are not responding to his campaign message,” Barnfather said.
“We’re gaining slightly.”
Meanwhile, Port Angeles City Council challenger Sissi Bruch maintained a narrow lead over incumbent Don Perry on Tuesday.
Bruch had 2,186 — or 51.18 percent — of the 4,271 ballots cast in the city.
Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said 2,220 new ballots arrived Thursday. That brings the total returned to 26,746 — or 58.49 percent — of the 45,731 registered voters in the county.
Election officials have yet to process 5,351 ballots that arrived in the mail Wednesday and Thursday.
“There’s more than 5,000 ballots left to be counted,” Barnfather said.
“We are optimistic for a positive outcome.”
No changes in results were made from election night in any of the Clallam County races.
“We are now opening the 3,131 ballots from Wednesday and will have those results fairly early on Monday,” Rosand said.
“We are closed on Friday for Veterans Day.”
The 2,220 ballots that arrived on Thursday will be processed by no later than Wednesday, Rosand said.
The new results are posted on the Clallam County website at www.clallam.net/elections.
Barnfather is a legislative aid for state Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim.
She and McEntire are vying to replace Commissioner Steve Tharinger, who did not run in order to focus on his other job as a state representative for the 24th District.
McEntire, a retired Coast Guard officer, has been a port commissioner since 2008.
His last day at the port will be Dec. 31, unless he is sworn in sooner than the traditional first week in January, he said in his letter to the port.
Port Angeles City Council incumbents Brad Collins (64.37 percent) and Dan Di Guilio (61.96 percent) maintained big leads over their challengers.
Incumbent Cherie Kidd also had 66.12 percent of the vote; her challenger had dropped out of the race, but his name remained on the ballot.
In Sequim, Candace Pratt (66.43 percent), Laura Dubois (57.90 percent) and Erik Erichsen (51.82 percent) held their leads.
Olympic Medical Center commissioner incumbents John Nutter (60.51) and Dr. John Miles (58.06 percent) maintained their leads.
The election will be certified Nov. 29 by the Clallam County Canvassing Board, Rosand said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.