Raap, Durfee advance to general election in Grant County Commissioner race

EPHRATA— With only about 150 ballots left to count in Grant County as of Aug. 13, Kelly Raap and Shannon Durfee appear headed to the November general election in the race for Grant County Commissioner Position 3. The election results will be certified on Aug. 18. 

According to election results posted by the Washington Secretary of State, Raap led the five-candidate field with 1,348 votes, or 32.52 percent, followed by Durfee with 1,200 votes, or 28.95 percent. Janice Flynn received 781 votes, or 18.84 percent; Seth Weeks received 769 votes, or 18.55 percent, and write-in candidates received 47 votes, or 1.13 percent. 

All candidates in the race were registered Republicans. 

Although the results remain unofficial, pending certification, the small number of ballots left to be counted makes it unlikely the outcome will change. 

For Raap, the early results were both encouraging and humbling. 

"It was a very humbling thing for me to see that," Raap said. "Certainly, you're out and about, you're traveling around and doing as much as you can to get your name out there, and you get positive feedback. But until you see the results, you really don't know where you stand." 

Raap thanked voters for their support and said the results have given her renewed motivation heading into the general election campaign. 

"It gives me another boost of energy to keep going," she said. "To have people's confidence in me means a lot to me. I want to do a great job for our county, and that's the reason I'm running." 

Durfee said she was grateful for the support she received from voters but remains focused on the race ahead. 

"My initial reaction is wow, great, awesome, thank you," Durfee said. "Thank you for voting for me and having the confidence in my abilities to do the job of commissioner." 

While pleased with the results, Durfee noted that the campaign is far from over. 

"My mind goes straight to, okay, we still have to get through the general," she said. "The work that needs to get put in for the next segment of the election process is still very forefront of my mind." 

Both candidates said connecting directly with residents will be a major focus over the next three months. 

Raap said she plans to attend as many forums, community events and meetings as possible to better understand the concerns of county residents. 

"My goal is to get to as many forums, as many events, as many opportunities to get one-on-one contact with people," Raap said. "I want to actually get out there and talk to people and find out what their concerns are." 

She said her background in agriculture and bookkeeping gives her a unique perspective, particularly when it comes to county finances. 

"I am from a family farm," Raap said. "I take an approach that just because you have money in the bank does not mean it has to be spent." 

Raap added that she believes county government should be transparent and fiscally responsible when managing taxpayer dollars. 

Durfee said her campaign will continue emphasizing accessibility and listening to constituents. 

"My focus is just to visit with everybody," Durfee said. "I want to know and visit with as many constituents as I can and hear what their thoughts and concerns and ideas are for Grant County." 

When asked which issues will be most important in the campaign, both candidates declined to single out one issue above others, noting that residents have different priorities. 

Durfee pointed to her experience in both public safety and business ownership but said all major county issues deserve attention. 

"Obviously, all of those things are high priority for everybody," she said. "I think those are all things that we are always working and striving to do better in as a county." 

Similarly, Raap said economic development, infrastructure, public safety and county spending are all significant concerns that affect residents differently. 

"I think each one of those issues impacts everybody differently," she said. "You could ask 10 different people, and each one of them will have a different answer as to which is most important." 

Neither candidate outlined major policy initiatives for their first 100 days in office if elected. Instead, both emphasized learning the role, building relationships and becoming familiar with county operations. 

Raap said her initial priority would be understanding county government and collaborating with departments and community partners. 

"My goal would be to get to know people and build relationships amongst the entities that we are working with and just work hard to become as informed as I possibly can," she said. 

Durfee echoed that approach. 

"I want to look at policy. I want to look at procedure and see how things have been going," she said. "I'm more of a let's learn how things are going and then decide how adjustments are to be made." 

Both candidates also stressed the importance of voter participation. 

Raap said voting gives citizens a voice and can have a significant impact, even when elections are decided by only a handful of votes. 

"I just feel like it's such an opportunity for people to have a voice," she said. "They don't realize how much one vote can count." 

Durfee pointed to the sacrifices made by previous generations to protect voting rights, and said local elections are often where change begins. 

"If you want change, the biggest thing you can do is vote," Durfee said. 

Grant County voters will decide between Raap and Durfee in the Nov. 4 general election. 

    Grant County Commissioner Candidate Kelly Raap said the early primary election results were both encouraging and humbling. Raap is leading the race as of Aug. 13 with 32.52 percent of the vote.
  

    Grant County Commissioner Candidate Shannon Durfee said the results gave her renewed motivation as she prepares to go into the general election. She was one of the two candidates going into the November general election with 28.95 percent of the vote, according to the Aug. 13 ballot counts.