Manweller secures House seat
Matt Manweller celebrates with his wife Shelley at the Republican headquarters in Ellensburg after winning his bid for state representative on Tuesday night.
MOSES LAKE - Voters from the 13th district once again elected a Republican to represent themselves in the state Legislature.
Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg, outpaced Moses Lake contractor Kaj Selmann two-votes-to-one in initial results Tuesday night. Manweller walked away with 20,988 votes, or 70 percent, to Selmann's 8,690 votes, according to preliminary results.
"It's a little daunting right now," Manweller said. "After 18 months of campaigning, the time is here. Although I'm personally excited, there are still a lot of unknowns."
He was referring specifically to Washington's gubernatorial race, which, as of Tuesday night, was too close to call. Manweller, a professor at Central Washington University, said he is honored and humbled by the trust voters have placed in him to represent the populous in Olympia.
"I look forward to working as hard as possible to ensure a reliable supply of water to our farmers, funding for education and rural health care, and promoting an environment where our small businesses can thrive once again."
Selmann, who spent the evening at the Kittitas County Democratic Party headquarters in Ellensburg, said he feels pretty good about the results.
"I don't know how effective Matt is going to be at this point," he said. "I just know that there's going to be more to come."
After a bitter race, Selmann still clings to his tenants, saying that Manweller's alleged behavior is "just the tip of the iceberg."
As his campaign closes, Selmann said he feels "very gratified with what we've accomplished with this campaign."
Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, easily swept another term in the state House as she ran unopposed representing the 13th district. Janéa Holmquist Newbry, the district's state Senator from Moses Lake, was not up for election this year.