Washington Lands Commissioner Race Near Recount

In the Washington state public lands commissioner race, Democrat Dave Upthegrove and Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson are in a razor-thin contest for the second spot on the November general election ballot, behind Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler who leads with 22% of the votes. As of the latest counts, the margin between Upthegrove and Pederson is only 51 votes, likely triggering an automatic statewide hand recount. Both campaigns have been intensely focused on 'curing' challenged ballots to ensure every vote is counted. The recount process is expected to take 10 to 14 days. The outcome will determine if the general election will feature two Republicans, a rare occurrence in this role. Upthegrove has praised the volunteers for their ballot-curing efforts, which involved making thousands of calls and door knocks to reach voters with problematic ballots.