Port of Olympia commission races remain close; Gundersen inches closer to Sanders
The Port of Olympia commission races were still too close to call after a second tally of ballots Wednesday afternoon, although some candidates inched away from their opponents or inched closer, according to Thurston County Auditor’s Office data.
Three seats are up for grabs on the commission: Two entirely new seats — Districts 4 and 5 — while the District 1 seat is now held by Commissioner Joe Downing, who chose not to run for re-election.
Vying for Downing’s seat is former longtime port commissioner Bill McGregor and newcomer and former state worker Jasmine Vasavada. She took the lead on Tuesday and inched away from him on Wednesday, according to that second count of ballots.
On Tuesday, she was leading by 50.1% to McGregor’s 49.5%, but on Wednesday she moved slightly ahead to 50.7% to McGregor’s 48.9%, the vote counts shows.
In the District 4 race, Maggie Sanders was still leading Washington Retail Association employee Rose Chiu Gundersen after the second count, although Gundersen gained a little ground on her.
On Tuesday, Sanders was leading 50.1% to Gundersen’s 49.4%. On Wednesday, it was Sanders with 50% and Gundersen at 49.5%.
And in the District 5 race, IT professional Sarah Tonge widened her lead over small business owner Troy Kirby. On Tuesday, she was ahead with 51.5% of the vote to Kirby’s 48%. On Wednesday, it stood at 52% for Tonge to 47.6% for Kirby.
It is not over. There are an estimated 20,000 ballots still to be counted, according to the Auditor’s Office. The next count is set to be released at 5 p.m. Thursday. The general election will be certified Nov. 28.
This story was originally published November 8, 2023 at 6:04 PM.
