Gipson inches ahead of incumbent Newkirk in North Thurston Public Schools board race
North Thurston Public Schools board races remained close after a new count of ballots on Thursday, but the District 5 race between challenger Michelle Gipson and incumbent Dave Newkirk was very close.
On Wednesday, Newkirk gained some ground on Gipson, but on Thursday she pulled away from him, and was leading Thursday with 50.9% of the vote to his 48.7%.
On Wednesday, the percentages looked like this: 50.5% for Gipson, 49.1% for Newkirk.
The vote separation between the two candidates grew to 415 votes on Thursday from 226 votes on Wednesday, the ballot count shows.
Gipson made a serious bid to upset Newkirk, raising more than $12,000 for her campaign run, according to state Public Disclosure Commission data. Newkirk raised no money and spent no money, the data show.
Among those who contributed to Gipson’s run: Lacey City Council member Robin Vazquez, Olympia City Council member Dani Madrone and Port of Olympia commission candidate Jasmine Vasavada.
In other North Thurston races, Gretchen Maliska and Esperanza A. Badillo-Diiorio maintained their leads.
In the District 1 race, incumbent Maliska was still leading challenger Veronica Shriver with 52.7% of the vote to Shriver’s 46.9%. On Wednesday, the numbers looked like this: 52.9% for Maliska, 46.7% for Shriver.
Badillo-Diiorio also was still leading Stephanie Scott at 52.5% to Scott’s 46.8%. On Wednesday, the numbers looked like this: 51.9% for Badillo-Diiorio, 47.5% for Scott.
They are running for the District 4 seat held by Graeme Sackrison, who chose not to run for reelection.
This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Gipson inches ahead of incumbent Newkirk in North Thurston Public Schools board race."
