Emily Fitzgerald / For Nisqually Valley News
Thurston County’s highly-anticipated race for the sheriff’s office will proceed as expected, with both incumbent Sheriff Derek Sanders and challenger Kevin Burton-Crow filing for candidacy this week.
The candidates declared their intentions to run for office weeks before filing week began Monday, May 4. Candidates had until 5 p.m. on Friday, May 8, to file their candidacy with the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.
Sanders filed on May 4 and Burton-Crow filed on May 6, according to the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.
The sheriff’s race is one of the few local Thurston County races proceeding as expected, however, as several longtime incumbents failed to file and some unanticipated challengers appeared in county- and state-level races.
On the Thurston County Board of Commissioners, Commission Chair Tye Menser is running unopposed to retain his District 3 seat.
District 5 Commissioner Emily Clouse, however, is facing two challengers — self-declared “moderate Democrat” Nicolas Martinez-Dunning and Democrat Michelle Gipson.
Clouse, who filed for re-election on May 6, faced a citizen-filed recall petition in 2024 after Clouse’s former aide sued the county for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation and suppression. He dismissed the lawsuit in January 2025 as part of a $300,000 settlement agreement.
A lower court dismissed the recall petition in January 2025 and the state Supreme Court upheld the decision in February 2026.
Several longtime incumbents within Thurston County government notably didn’t file for re-election.
Treasurer Jeff Gadman and Coroner Gary Warnock both did file unopposed for re-election to their respective offices, though they were among few of their peers to do so.
Clerk Linda Myhre Enlow, Assessor Steven J. Drew, Auditor Mary Hall and Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim all withdrew their names from the upcoming ballot, leaving newcomers to vie for their seats.
Garrett Cady of Yelm and Nicole Miller of Olympia have both filed for the clerk position. Cady registered as an Independent and Miller registered as a Democrat.
JJ Olson and Lynda Nashed Zeman, both Democrats from Olympia, have filed for the assessor position.
Tillie Naputi-Pullar, a Democrat from Olympia, filed unopposed for Thurston County Auditor. Christy Peters, also a Democrat from Olympia, filed unopposed for Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney.
Thurston County District Court Judges Kalo Wilcox, Sam Meyer, and Paul Wohl each filed unopposed for re-election to their respective positions.
On the Thurston County PUD Commission, two candidates — Bruce D. Wilkinson and Troy Kirby — filed against incumbent Jim Campbell for the District No. 1 seat.
District No. 3 Commissioner Chris Stearns did not file for re-election. Chistopher Pettitt and Jeff Curry will vie for his open seat.
Legislative races
Thurston County Commissioner Carolina Mejia filed Monday, May 4, with a Tacoma P.O Box address to run against incumbent state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, for the 35th Legislative District’s senate seat. She is running as a Democrat.
Her current term on the Thurston County Board of Commissioners expires in 2028.
Incumbent state representatives for the 35th Legislative District, Couture and Dan Griffey, both R-Allyn, filed to run for re-election seeking to hold onto their seats.
Couture faces a single Democrat challenger, Maria Littleson. Griffey faces Democrat challengers Jim Pierson, of East Olympia, and Shaena Garberich, of Shelton.
The 35th Legislative District represents all of Mason County along with a small chunk of Kitsap County and portions of southeast Thurston County.
Incumbent Washington state Rep. Matt Marshall, R-Eatonville, filed to keep his position 2 seat for the states 2nd Legislative District. He faces a Democrat challenger in Angela Taylor, who filed with a Yelm Address.
Self declared Labor Democrat, William Dehnel, who filed with a Yelm address, will run for the district 2 representative seat currently held by Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia.
The state’s 2nd Legislative District includes part of southeastern Thurston County and a large chunk of southern Pierce County, stopping along its southern border with Lewis County.
In Legislative District 22, incumbent Democratic Rep. Beth Doglio, of Olympia, faces challenger Don Hewatt, a Republican from Lacey, in a race for the district 1 seat. Rep. Lisa Parshley, D-Olympia, filed to retain her district 2 seat, and will be challenged by fellow Democrat Jamie Keenan deVargas, also of Olympia.
State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, filed Monday morning and will seek re-election this year to his position 1 state representative seat for the state’s 20th Legislative District. According to the candidate filings, he will face off against at least one challenger, Andy Zahn, a Democrat who registered with a Toutle address.
The 20th Legislative District represents most of Lewis County and parts of Thurston, Cowlitz and Clark counties east of Interstate 5.
Incumbent state Reps. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, and Joel McEntire, R-Cathlemet, both filed to run for re-election to their seats representing the state’s 19th Legislative District. The 19th district represents the parts of Lewis County, and many others, that lie to the west of Interstate 5 from Aberdeen to Longview.
Two challengers have appeared to take on McEntire for his 19th Legislative District position 2 seat. A challenger has also appeared to face off with 20th Legislative District state Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama.
A Longview-based Democrat, Terry Carlson, filed to run for McEntire’s seat. In a Sunday news release, Carlson pitched himself as a candidate for working class residents, touting his experience in the labor movement and as a “proud union member.”
A former Republican candidate for the position, James “Jimi” O’Hagan, also filed to run for the seat Monday. O’Hagan previously ran for the seat in 2016, but at the same time faced felony theft charges in Lewis County.
Kelso Democrat Evan Jones will run for Orcutt’s spot.
Congressional races
On the federal stage, incumbent U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, a Democrat representing District 10, is facing five challengers: Adam Arafat, Alex Scheel, Chris D. Chung, Kurtis Engle and Derek Maynes.
Arafat and Scheel both filed as Democrats. Chung filed as a Republican. Engel listed his party as “Union” — likely referring to the Washington Union Party. Maynes stated “no party preference.”
District 10 covers Pierce and Thurston counties.
Strickland’s seatmate, U.S. Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez, a Democrat representing District 3, is facing eight challengers: Brett Hennrich, John P. Roco, John Saulie-Rohman, Troy Rasband, John Braun, Antony Barran, Austin Braswell and Lawrence Kellog.
Hennrich, Rasband and Braswell all filed as Democrats. Roco, Braun and Kellog all filed as Republicans. Rohman filed as an Independent, and Barran filed as a member of the Cascade Party of Washington.
District 3 covers sections of South Thurston, Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties.
