Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 5

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Leads Washington 3rd Primary by 263 Votes as Tossup Heads to General

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 5

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Leads Washington 3rd Primary by 263 Votes as Tossup Heads to General

Q: With polls closed in Washington's 3rd District, what is causing the suspenseful delay in the initial vote count?

The delay is largely procedural, not unusual: Washington’s vote count had not yet posted its first batch of results even though polls had closed. Washington conducts elections almost entirely by mail, so the initial numbers usually come from ballots already received and processed by county election offices. Voters had until 8 p.m. to return ballots by drop box or get them hand-postmarked at a post office, which means counties were still finishing intake and preparing the first release. In the 3rd District, early county reports from Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania, Thurston and Wahkiakum all still showed zero votes counted, indicating the first uploads had simply not gone live yet. That creates extra suspense because this is one of the state’s most closely watched congressional races. The district is rated a tossup for November, and Washington’s top-two primary means the opening count is closely scrutinized for who will advance. The broader election setup also slows the appearance of instant results. Counties verify signatures and process large volumes of mailed ballots before posting totals, and different counties release results on slightly different schedules. So the “zero votes” report reflects a lag in reporting the first wave of mail-ballot counts, not an indication that ballots were missing or that counting had stopped.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 5

263 votes separate the top two candidates in Washington's 3rd District primary, with incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez at 54,132 votes, or 38.92%, and Republican John Braun at 53,869, or 38.73%.
Washington's top-two system sends both Gluesenkamp Perez and Braun to the general election, while Democrat Brent Hennrich trailed with 21,290 votes, or 15.31%, out of 139,079 reported.
Clark County gave Gluesenkamp Perez her biggest base with a 7-point edge on 92,432 votes, while Braun ran ahead in Cowlitz, Lewis and Thurston counties, including a 32-point margin in Lewis.
Cook Political Report rates the November contest a Tossup, underscoring how the razor-thin primary split could carry into one of the state's most competitive House races.