PORT TOWNSEND — Jill Landes held a strong early lead Tuesday night over Richard Suryan for Jefferson County District Court judge.
Landes, Clallam County senior deputy prosecuting attorney and a Port Townsend resident, garnered 6,408 votes, or 54.69 percent, to Suryan’s 5,269 or 44.97 percent, on Tuesday night.
Landes, who was celebrating with her campaign workers Tuesday night at the Port Townsend Yacht Club, said she never took for granted that she would win.
“I’m really please with it, of course,” Landes said of the results, adding that she expected to maintain her lead when the remainder of the votes were counted later this week.
Suryan, who was at home on Election Night, was subdued.
“There’s not much to say. I wish it was the other way,” said Suryan, a Clallam County public defender and a Port Townsend-area resident.
“I would rather have her votes than her have mine.”
A total of 13,403 ballots, 63.91 percent of the 20,929 mail-in ballots sent out Oct. 18, were counted Tuesday night.
There were 400 additional ballots in hand but not processed, including those collected from ballot drop boxes at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
They will be counted at 1 p.m. Thursday along with about 1,000 that Auditor Donna Eldridge expects in the ballots expected in the mail today and Thursday. Ballots had to be postmarked on or before Tuesday.
The general election winner takes the District Court bench where Judge Mark Huth now presides.
Huth publicly supported Landes.