Democrats Lead in Four Southwest Washington State House Races

Unofficial election results show Democrats leading in all four state house races in Southwest Washington's 17th and 18th legislative districts. The outcomes would unseat four Republican incumbents in a region that has historically leaned toward the GOP. These races were among the most competitive in the state this election cycle.

In District 17, which covers areas from Vancouver through Skamania and parts of Klickitat County, Democrat Ben Christly is ahead of Republican Kevin Waters in Position 1. Christly told reporters Wednesday morning that it was too early to declare victory, but the initial numbers looked promising. He attributed the momentum to strong candidates and clear messages focused on working families.

PACs aligned with Republicans spent nearly $600,000 against Christly's campaign in the final days before the Nov. 3 election. According to the state's Public Disclosure Commission, that amount was higher than all but one other non-Congressional race in Washington. Democrat Diana Perez is leading Republican David Stuebe by 13 percentage points in Position 2 of District 17. Perez is a Vancouver city councilor.

In District 18, located in north Clark County and including the city of Battle Ground, Democrat Randi Knott is ahead of Republican Stephanie McClintock for Position 1. McClintock, who was seeking a third term, represents a seat that has been held by Republicans for years. Knott has a background in public policy and serves on the Clark County Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board.

Democrat Deken Letinich is leading Republican John Ley in Position 2 of District 18. Letinich has deep ties to the local labor community. Ley, a former commercial airline pilot and critic of the I-5 Interstate Bridge replacement project, was running for a second term as state representative.

Shasti Conrad, the Washington Democratic party chair, said the results were unprecedented for her party in these specific districts. She noted that Democrats have not controlled both the 17th and 18th districts for several years. The four races featured among the top 10 statewide for outside campaign spending.

Campaign finance records show that Republican-aligned PACs spent between $400,000 and $600,000 to defend each incumbent's seat. That figure was nearly five times the amount spent by Democratic supporters in these specific contests.