Allison advances to general election

Hansen passes Conley in PUD race; both move on to November

Grant County Commissioner LeRoy Allison will move on to the general

election after a final count of absentee ballots pushed him past

challenger Ron Baker.

Allison held a 1,539-1,420 vote lead over Baker after Friday's vote

counts, with approximately 20 votes expected to trickle in, according to

the Grant Count Auditor's Office.

Allison, a Republican, will move on to face Democrat Ritchie Norman, who

ran unopposed, in the Nov. 2 general election.

Allison held a slim 28-vote lead over Baker after election officials had

counted all the ballots Tuesday night. The count was resumed Friday

morning.

Allison told the Herald on election night that he feels the close race

points to the number of close issues involved in the race, and he wants

to move his focus to the general election.

"I'm going to be moving forward with the team that has been helping me,

and we'll run a clean race," he told the Herald.

Baker said he wants to reserve any final comments until the election is

certified on Sept. 24. But he did feel as though the tight contest meant

his campaign had struck a chord with the electorate.

"It means that at least half the voters here think there ought to be a

change," he said in an interview Monday morning.

Friday's vote count altered the results of one other race. Challenger

Greg Hansen bumped past incumbent Mike Conley for vote getter in the race

for Grant County PUD Commissioner District 2.

After Friday's count, Hansen was ahead of Conley 1,932 to 1,907, with

challenger Lee Blackwell garnering 930 votes.

Conley had maintained a razor-thin, eight-vote lead over Hansen Tuesday

night.

Conley and Hansen both will advance to the Nov. 2 general election.