Benton, Franklin incumbents draw challengers on last day. How the 2022 primary is shaping up

Filing week wrapped up Friday with the arrival of several last-minute challengers for key positions in Benton and Franklin counties.

Clint Didier, Franklin County’s outspoken and frequently controversial county commissioner, will face a familiar foe.

Longtime former Commissioner Rick Miller threw his hat in the ring to challenge the man who ousted him from office four years ago after 12 years in the position.

And Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond also drew an opponent on Friday for what he’s said will be his last term in office.

He’ll face former Connell Police Chief Chris Turner.

In Pasco, three school board incumbents ended up with challengers and one incumbent did not file for election. All five positions are up for election this year as a result of a redistricting move to give Latino voters a majority in two districts.

Across the river in Benton County, several candidates will face off in the August primary to fill seats without incumbents because of the retirement of Prosecutor Andy Miller and Commissioner Shon Small, who decided not to seek re-election.

The top two vote-getters in the primary, no matter which political party they affiliate with, will then face off in the November 2022 general election.

Franklin County sheriff

Turner, who was terminated from his position in January, quietly put his name in on Friday to run against Raymond. Both are Republicans.

Turner started his career with the Connell police department in 1994, and was hired full time in 2000. He transferred over to the sheriff’s office in 2007 but returned to take over the small Connell department in 2014, months before Raymond won his first term.

Turner said several law enforcement officers and public officials encouraged him run against the two-term incumbent.

“I love Franklin County. I love the people. I want to serve with compassion and humility and I believe that is lost,” he told the Herald. “I am tired of seeing taxpayer dollars being spent on lawsuits just because someone wants to dig in their heels and fight.”

Raymond is planning for what he said will be his final term. He told the Herald he would stand on his record, including getting the sheriff’s office accredited through the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and improving conditions at the jail after a lawsuit.

Raymond, a former Pasco police captain, beat longtime Sheriff Richard Lathim in 2014.

“The challenges over the past couple of years have been extreme at times,” he said in an announcement that he planned to run.

“However the staff of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office have risen to the occasion providing professional service to our community while always being mindful of the people’s Constitutional guarantees,” he said.

This won’t be the first time Raymond and Turner will be at odds.

In 2019, Raymond stopped a working agreement with the Connell Police Department, while Turner was chief. It followed complaints from a Connell police officer about being harassed by sheriff’s deputies.

Turner said one thing on his agenda would be to bring animal control to the larger county.

Raymond wants to see a Behavioral Health and Recovery Center finished, develop a bicounty search and rescue program and help improve emergency dispatch services in the region.

Other Franklin races

Rick Miller, a Republican, was a county commissioner for 12 years when he finished third in the 2018 primary behind Didier and Democrat Zahra Roach.

Miller was born into an Eastern Washington farm family and established his own farm after graduating high school. He earned degrees in agriculture from Washington State University.

Didier, an Eltopia farmer and former professional football player, has made waves, particularly during the COVID pandemic by challenging state rules and pushing back on a lawsuit on Latino voting rights and county elections.

He currently is head of the Franklin County Republican Party.

WA Senate and House

A few new candidates announced bids to run for state House or Senate positions.

▪ Pasco Councilwoman Nikki Torres, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Sen. Jim Honeyford in the newly redrawn 15th Legislative District.

▪ The two House positions each had a single candidate — incumbent Bruce Chandler and newcomer Bryan Sandlin.

▪ The 8th Legislative District will have an entirely new slate of lawmakers starting next year. Three candidates are running to fill state Sen. Sharon Brown’s seat. She’s stepping down at the end of her term.

Those include Rep. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, who also currently represents the district; Independent Ronni Batchelor, who is a peer specialist with Lourdes Health Network; and Republican Alex Barrington, who lives in Richland.

▪ Three candidates — all of them Republicans — have also stepped up to replace state Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, who’s running in the crowded 4th Congressional District race.

Stephanie Barnard is the former head of government affairs for the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Franklin County Republican vice chair.

Glenn Taylor is a Kennewick pastor, small business owner and a former legislative assistant for the 8th Legislative District.

Patrick Guettner of Pasco is a retiree and has served as a former Republican party chair.

▪ Four candidates will run for Boehnke’s seat.

April Connors and Joe Cotta are both running as Republicans.

Connors is a real estate agent in the Tri-Cities and is also the wife of Kennewick School Board President Mike Connors. Cotta is a Pasco vineyard manager at St. Michelle Wine Estates.

John Christenson, a Democrat from Kennewick, is a former Benton County Fire District 1 commissioner and precinct committee officer.

Larry Stanley, the tasting room manager at Hamilton Cellars, is again running for a state House seat as a third-party candidate — the Alliance Party. He also ran for the Richland City Council in 2019.

Benton County races

The race to replace Small, who’s departing from his office at the end of the year, will include former state Rep. Bill Jenkin, PUD Commissioner Barry Bush and Richland Mayor Michael Alvarez. All three are running as Republicans.

The replacement for longtime Prosecutor Andy Miller, a Democrat, will be chosen from one of two Republican candidates — Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Lukson, who is a Richland city councilman, and Richland attorney Eric Eisinger.

Pasco School Board

Eight candidates have filed for the five seats on the Pasco School Board, but incumbent Jesse Campos is not one of them.

All five seats are up for election after the district finalized new director district boundaries.

Amanda Brown, a Kennewick dual language teacher and Pasco resident, will challenge Steve Christensen for his seat.

Incumbent Amy Philips has a challenger in Trevor Crosby.

And Steve Simmons, who’s seat will remain at-large, is being challenged by Stella Trevino.

John Kennedy filed for Campos’ position on the board. Campos is the only Hispanic member currently on the Pasco board.

This story was originally published May 21, 2022 at 1:11 PM.