Preliminary election results show incumbent Tye Menser will likely retain his seat after he garnered 39,089 votes, or 57.64%, in the Thurston County commissioner district 3 race.
Challenger Vivian Kay Eason, a Republican, secured 28,661 votes, or 42.26%.
Menser, who is a Democrat, was first elected to the seat in 2019.
The voters pamphlet stated he was an attorney from 1997 to 2018. In his role as commissioner, Menser helped pass the climate mitigation plan and created one of the state’s first green-energy financing programs. Menser also chairs the county’s board of health.
Eason served 25 years in the juvenile and criminal justice system and spent 15 years in emergency management with Thurston County. She retired as a master sergeant in 2019 after 31 years with the U.S. Army Reserves.
There are still an estimated 30,000 ballots left to count with the next vote scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 9.
