The ballot is set. See who filed to run for 2026 Tri-City races
Ballots are set for the 2026 election season as candidate filing week came to a close at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Across more than three dozen federal, state and local offices up for election in Benton and Franklin counties, 103 candidates filed their paperwork to run.
There were a few 11th hour surprises.
Tri-City voters will have choices to make in sheriffs races in both Benton and Franklin counties.
Republican Brad Klippert, currently a Kennewick city councilman, filed late Friday to challenge Mike Clark, the appointed Benton County sheriff.
County commissioners chose Clark over Klippert late last year to serve out the rest of former Sheriff Tom Croskrey’s term.
Both are veterans of the department. Klippert is a current deputy, and Clark served as a lieutenant before his appointment.
In Franklin County, three candidates are vying to replace Sheriff Jim Raymond, who is retiring. They are Republican Christopher Lee, Republican Monty Huber, and independent Kohl St. Peter.
St. Peter is a former Connell officer who unsuccessfully sued the sheriff and county in 2022. Huber is the undersheriff who’s been endorsed by Raymond. Lee is the current Connell police chief.
Some candidates also jumped in late Friday to ensure some races didn’t go unchallenged.
Democrat Jack McEntire, a Selah chainsaw sculptor, filed to run against Republican Chris Corry, the incumbent in Legislative District 15.
Democrat Kyle Palmer, a real estate agent from Richland, also threw his hat in to challenge Republican Mark Klicker, an incumbent in Legislative District 16.
Public defense attorney Michael Nguyen of Pasco will challenge Trinity Orosco for a judge seat on Franklin County District Court.
Douglas McKinley, the attorney who previously ran for Congress as a Democrat, also filed to run for the 8th Legislative District’s sole Senate seat.
He’ll face off against Nikki Torres and Gabe Galbraith, both Republicans.
And independent William Chichenoff of Yakima filed to join the Legislative District 14 race against Democrat Chelsea Dimas and Republican incumbent Gloria Mendoza.
Primary voters will also have some tough choices to make in stacked congressional races taking place east of the Cascade Mountains.
Eleven candidates are running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse in Washington’s 4th Congressional District in Central Washington.
Six of those candidates are Republicans, three are independent or chose no preference, one is a Democrat and one is from the Cascade Party.
Freshman U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, the Republican from Spokane, will seek to defend his 5th Congressional District seat in Eastern Washington against a dozen challengers.
More than half of his challengers — 7 of the 12 — are Democrats, and risk splitting the vote in the primary. The other five are independents.
The Aug. 4 primary will whittle the field of candidates down to two with the most votes, who will face off in the Nov. 3 general election. Most winners will take office in January 2027.
Federal and state offices
U.S. House Washington 4th District
- Amanda McKinney, Republican
- Matt Boehnke, Republican
- John Duresky, Democrat
- Jacek “Jack” Kobiesa, no party preference
- Jerrod Sessler, Republican
- Zac Rossi, no party preference
- John C. Hughs, Republican
- Favian Valencia, independent
- Devin Poore, Cascade Party
- Elpidia Saavedra, Republican
- Ken Vaz, Republican
U.S. House Washington 5th District
- Michael Baumgartner (incumbent), Republican
- Carmela Conroy, Democrat
- David Womack, Democrat
- Matthew Hayes, independent
- Nate Powell, no party preference
- Ann Marie Danimus, independent
- Bajun Mavalwalla, Democrat
- Kevin Fagan, Democrat
- Kyle Ursey, independent
- Richard Freudenberg, Democrat
- Andrew Bartleson, independent
- Mike Gahvarehchee, Democrat
- Michael McGarr, Democrat
Washington Legislature — District 8
State Rep. Position 1
- Stephanie Barnard (incumbent), Republican
State Rep. Position 2
- April Connors, (incumbent), Republican
State Senator
- Gabe Galbraith, Republican
- Nikki Torres, Republican
- Doug McKinley, Democrat
Washington Legislature — District 14
State Rep. Position 1
- Gloria Mendoza (incumbent), Republican
- Chelsea Dimas, Democrat
- William Chichenoff, no party preference
State Rep. Position 2
- Deb Manjarrez (incumbent), Republican
- Ezequiel Morfin, Democrat
- Tony Sandoval, Democrat
Washington Legislature — District 15
State Rep. Position 1
- Chris Corry (incumbent), Republican
- Jack McEntire, Democrat
State Rep. Position 2
- Reedy Berg, Republican
- Liz Hallock, No Kings Party
- Chase Foster, Republican
State Senator
- Jeremie Dufault, Republican
Washington Legislature — District 16
State Rep. Position 1
- Mark Klicker (incumbent), Republican
- Kyle Palmer, Democrat
State Rep. Position 2
- Skyler Rude (incumbent), Republican
- Derek Sarley, Democrat
Washington Supreme Court
Justice Position 1
- Colleen Melody (incumbent)
- Scott Edwards
- Laura Christensen Colberg
- Anne Melani Bremner
Justice Position 3
- Jaime Michelle Hawk
- Mike Diaz
- David Stevens
Justice Position 4
- Ian Birk
- Sean O’Donnell
Justice Position 5
- Theo Angelis (incumbent)
- Sharonda Amamilo
- Dave Larson
- Greg Miller
Justice Position 7
- Debra Stephens (incumbent)
- Todd Bloom
- Karim Merchant
- David Shelvey
Court of Appeals, Division 3, District 2
Judge Position 1
- Tyson Hill (incumbent)
Benton County
Assessor
- Bill Spencer (incumbent), Republican
Auditor
- Brenda Chilton (incumbent), Republican
Board of County Commission, District No. 2
- Michael Alvarez (incumbent), Republican
Clerk
- Josie Delvin (incumbent), Republican
Coroner
- William “Bill” Leach (incumbent), Republican
Prosecuting Attorney
- Eric Eisinger (incumbent), Republican
- Julie Long, Republican
Sheriff
- Michael Clark (appointed), Republican
- Brad Klippert, Republican
Treasurer
- Kenneth Spencer Jr. (incumbent), Republican
District Court Judge 1
- Michael “Mike” Rio
- Talesha Sams
District Court Judge 2
- James “Jim” Bell (incumbent)
District Court Judge 3
- Dan Kathren (incumbent)
District Court Judge 4
- Jennifer Johnson
District Court Judge 5
- Jennifer Azure (incumbent)
Public Utility District, Commissioner Pos. 2
- Micah Valentine
- Pat Tucker
- Roy C. “Dewey” Holliday
Richland City Council, Position 4 (nonpartisan)
- Todd Samuel (appointed)
- David Tveraas
- Kyle Saltz
- Ragan Faylor
- Mary Lipton
Franklin County
Assessor
- John Rosenau (incumbent), Republican
- Chris Hollingsworth, Republican
Auditor
- Matt Beaton (incumbent), Republican
Clerk
- Ruby Ochoa, Republican
Coroner
- Curtis McGary, Republican (incumbent)
County Commission District 3
- Joel Prantle, Republican
- Clint Didier, (incumbent), Republican
Prosecuting Attorney
- Shawn Sant (incumbent), Republican
Sheriff
- Christopher Lee, Republican
- Monty Huber, Republican
- Kohl St. Peter, independent
Treasurer
- Josie Koelzer (incumbent), Republican
District Court Judge
- Trinity Orosco (incumbent)
- Michael Nguyen
Port of Pasco, Commissioner District No. 3
- Hans-Joachim Engelke (incumbent)
Public Utility District, District No. 2
- Tim Nies
This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "The ballot is set. See who filed to run for 2026 Tri-City races."
