Incumbent Washington state Rep Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, is leading Democrat challenger Terry Carlson in the tightest state lawmaker race in Southwest Washington’s 19th and 20th Legislative District races after Tuesday’s preliminary vote count.
McEntire has received 27,409 votes so far, representing 53.95% of the ballots counted as of Tuesday evening. In a district that has turned solidly red in recent years, Carlson was the first-place finisher in the August primary election that included McEntire and two other Republicans, who struggled to gather much support.
A total of 23,281 ballots tallied in the preliminary count came in support of Carlson, representing 45.82% of the votes counted Tuesday night.
McEntire declared victory on Facebook Tuesday, roughly an hour after the preliminary results were released. The announcement was posted on an infamous personal Facebook page declaring “the results of this election were clear.”
“The voters of the 19th Legislative District have chosen me to return to Olympia to represent them once again, and I am honored to do so,” McEntire wrote. “To fight for you and to bring a measure of sanity to the state legislature.”
McEntire has seemed to have weathered headwinds and campaigned through a difficult few months. After coming in just behind Carlson in the primary, he faced a relatively public anti-harassment lawsuit and two fines from state agencies.
One fine from the Washington state Legislative Ethics Board was related to his conduct on social media and more specifically an interaction with constituent and Lewis County resident Brittany Voie. Despite years of ethics complaints related to social media conduct, McEntire had never faced enforcement; however, in this case, the board found an exchange on Facebook constituted a threat to use his official position to find personal information about Voie.
The fine totaled $500 with half that sum suspended if he avoids further ethics complaints through the 2028 election cycle.
The other fine handed down from the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) related to the use of campaign funds to cover legal fees connected to the recent legal battle in Cowlitz County. McEntire was found to have used $3,000 in campaign funds to cover attorney’s fees in the case. The PDC hit McEntire with another $500 fine for the misuse of campaign funds and suspended half the sum, assuming he avoids further violations for four years.
McEntire admitted no wrongdoing, instead stating that he had received legal and financial guidance that the use of campaign funds was appropriate to protect his public image. He paid back the $3,000 ahead of a hearing with the PDC.
The legal proceedings cited in the case with the PDC were related to his conduct on social media, specifically an exchange with a constituent that was determined to constitute a threat or call to action of violence or harassment.
A judge awarded Longview resident Britney Brown, who represented herself in Cowlitz County District Court, a protection order preventing the lawmaker from making contact with her for a year.
For the most recent reporting from The Chronicle detailing recent enforcement actions and legal battles involving McEntire, visit https://tinyurl.com/3f62v75x.
Carlson had not yet conceded the race or publicly commented on the first ballot tallies.
Carlson has been a vocal critic of McEntire, often weighing in on social media. He hoped that his performance in the primary election and deep ties to the labor movement and local labor unions would carry him to victory.
More votes will be tallied in the coming days.
