Tim Knue

More than a week after last Tuesday’s election, with nearly every ballot tallied and reported, three state legislative races are on the cusp of requiring a mandatory recount, which would come about in a race decided by a margin of less than one half of one percent.

Two of those elections, the 6th Legislative District matchup of Rep. John Ahern (R-Spokane) and John Driscoll (D-Spokane) and the 44th LD race with Rep. Liz Loomis (D-Snohomish) and Mike Hope (R-Everett), are almost certain to require another round, and may even call for a manual recount.

As of Tuesday night, the challengers held narrow leads in each district, and county elections officials predict that fewer than one thousand ballots remain.

The same trend that saw Dino Rossi close the gubernatorial primary's 4 point election night gamp down to less than two is guiding state Republicans toward gains in Olympia.

Despite being down by narrow margins in most competitive races on November 4, late vote tallies have either closed the gap or erased it completely in a handful of state races that could results in a net gain of a handful of state House seats for the GOP.

Rep. John Ahern (R-Spokane) has seen has his gap shrink from over one thousand to just 54 votes against John Driscoll (D-Spokane) in a 6th Legislative District race that will likely be headed for a recount.  No matter who wins, their seatmate will be Representative-elect Kevin Parker (R-Spokane), who has extended his lead over Rep. Don Barlow (D-Spokane) with the late returns.

DENVER - The Democratic Speaker of the state House of Representatives, Seattle's Frank Chopp, is well known in political circles for his planning and dedication to building a long-term Democratic majority in Olympia. Just like with the Republicans, every other year provides a chance to gradually build up or chip away at the current lead, depending on what side you are on.

But despite all the projections and planning, did last week's "top two" primary results change the leadership's picture of which races to focus on going into November? Chopp says no.

Patricia TerryThe 10th Legislative District Democrats Executive Board met on Saturday to determine their official slate of endorsed candidates for the "top two" primary on August 19. Notably, they chose to give a sole endorsement for state House, position 2, choosing party nominee Patricia Terry (D-Camano Island) outright over fellow challenger Ann McDonald (D-Greenbank).

The top Democrat in the "top two" primary will likely advance to the general election along with the incumbent, Rep. Barbara Bailey (R-Oak Harbor).

This is what the LD10 Democrats had to say about their endorsement of Terry:

"Patricia Terry, a 30-year Registered Nurse, performance evaluator, regional manager (West/Far East) quality oversight with the Department of Defense, and Masters degree in Public Administration makes her an especially attractive Candidate."

The 10th Legislative District held its nomination meeting Thursday night at Skagit Valley Community College in Mt. Vernon where they officially endorsed Patricia Terry over Ann McDonald for the Democratic nomination for state House, position 2. The official weighted PCO count was 220 for Taylor and 13 for McDonald.

The District also nominated Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen for re-election to the Senate and Tim Knue for state Representative, position1.