PORT ANGELES — Democrat Derek Kilmer continued Wednesday to dominate a field of seven candidates vying for the retiring Norm Dicks’ 6th Congressional District seat in the primary election that ended Tuesday.
That was true both in Clallam and Jefferson counties, and in the district, which also includes Grays Harbor, Mason and Kitsap counties and part of Tacoma in Pierce County.
As of Wednesday, Kilmer, the 39-year-old state senator with Port Angeles roots, held a district-wide lead of 55,576 votes, or 54.5 percent, over Republican Bill Driscoll, according to the state Secretary of State’s Office.
Driscoll, a 49-year-old Tacoma businessman with family ties to Weyerhauser, had 18,239 votes, or 17.87 percent, against four other Republican candidates.
In Clallam County, Kilmer held a commanding lead of 7,248 votes, or 48.39 percent, over Driscoll, who had garnered 2,591, votes, or 17.39 percent.
The next count of Clallam County ballots will be today by 4:30 p.m. or Friday morning, county Auditor Patty Rosand said.
There were 45,879 ballots mailed in Clallam County and 19,992 returned as of Wednesday for a turnout of 43.58 percent.
In Jefferson County, ballots were counted Tuesday night but not Wednesday.
Kilmer had taken 5,479 votes, or 61.69 percent of the vote in Jefferson County as of Tuesday night.
In Jefferson County, where 21,889 ballots were mailed and 9,580 returned by Tuesday for a turnout of 43.77 percent, the next ballot count is scheduled for noon Friday, Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge said.
On Tuesday, her office had about 1,200 ballots still uncounted.
She expected another 200 to come in for a 54 percent turnout.
The Associated Press Tuesday night declared Kilmer and Driscoll the nominees to proceed to the Nov. 6 general election to succeed Dicks, who is not seeking re-election to a 19th two-year term.
In Clallam County, Republican Doug Cloud, an attorney in Gig Harbor, followed Driscoll in Wednesday’s count with 2,229 votes, or 14.88 percent in Clallam.
Cloud had 600 votes for 6.76 percent in Jefferson as of Tuesday night.
Stephan A. Brodhead, David Eichner and Jesse Young, all Republicans, were further behind, as was independent Eric G. Arentz Jr.
Complete vote tallies for candidates in Clallam, Jefferson and the other 6th District counties are at http://tinyurl.com/pdn-congress.
Kilmer, who graduated from Port Angeles High School in 1992, is vice president of the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Economic Development. He is currently serving his second term in the state Senate.
Since this is a “top two” primary election, the two candidates with the greatest number of votes regardless of political party will advance to the Nov. 6 general election.
That race’s winner will go to Washington, D.C., to earn an annual salary of $174,000.