Votes show likely Herrera Beutler vs Upthegrove in race for lands commissioner

(The Center Square) - In a race that remains too close to call for the second-place finisher, Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler has secured her top spot for Washington state’s next public lands commissioner.

As of Tuesday, the former member of Congress has just under 22% of the vote total.

While it appeared just after the Aug. 6 primary that Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson would cinch the second spot, snubbing Democrats out of the general election entirely, ballots added in the last few days have given King County Council Chair Dave Upthegrove (D) the edge over Pederson. 

Upthegrove is leading Kuehl Pederson by more than 5,700 votes, but there are several counties that still have thousands of ballots to be tallied. 

Walla Walla County shows 9,500 ballots outstanding. Thurston County has 5,800 ballots to be added in. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s a done deal yet,” said Herrera Beutler, who told The Center Square she’s confident that she will finish out as the top vote-getter but said it may take another day or two to know for sure who her challenger will be.

“It looks like I can take a little breath for me at least,” said Herrera Beutler.

The candidate said her message between now and the general election is not going to change.

“We have to responsibly manage our public lands. We have to protect habitat and preserve ecosystems, and we must prioritize preventing catastrophic wildfires,” she said.

“I am tired of burning forests and choking smoke and those are a result of not responsibly managing our forests,” said Herrera Beutler.

Assuming Upthegrove is her opponent, Herrera Beutler said the contrast between their approaches for the office paint a stark picture. 

“I’ve heard him say on day one he wants to set aside a large amount of land and now is not the time to do that,” she said. “Now is not the time to do that, because they are burning, and we need to make sure they are healthy and thriving.”

The commissioner of public lands oversees Washington’s Department of Natural Resources, which is responsible for nearly 6 million acres of public lands.

As previously reported by The Center Square, current Commissioner Hilary Franz is stepping down after seven years in the position to run for Congress. 

In a July candidate forum, Upthegrove, said the "world is changing” and that Washingtonians are experiencing the impacts of climate change.

“I’m running for lands commissioner to improve the management of our public lands to meet these realities of today,” he said. “My vision includes incorporating environmental justice, and tribal sovereignty into all of our work.”

The Center Square did reach out to Upthegrove for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Herrera Beutler says some of the accusations made about her plans for the office are untrue.

“I’m not going to undue protections for old growth and I’m not going to commercially put all the land up for sale,” she said.

Herrera Beutler said her goal is to lead the agency, trust DNR employees and not allow outside interest groups to take over.

“Over the last ten plus years, there’s been this increasing pressure from extreme special interest groups, from Seattle and Olympia, who have pushed this whole agency out of the realm of using science to manage it, to the realm of emotions," she said. 

Vote counting is scheduled to continue with Aug. 23 set as the deadline for the secretary of state to certify the results of the primary.