Dye leads Lathim in race for state legislature

State Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, appears to be headed from appointed replacement to elected legislator.

Dye leads former Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim, a fellow Republican, after the first results were released Tuesday in five of the six counties in the district. Dye has a total of 9,820 votes, 65 percent, to Lathim’s 5,377 votes, 35 percent.

“I kept my campaign focused on the positive,” Dye told the Herald. “We have a very special place in the state and we need to be proud of who we are and communicate that to the policy makers on the west side so they know where we are coming from.”

Lathim has the advantage only in his Franklin County home, where he got 55 percent of the vote. He said Tuesday night that a lot of votes remain to be counted, but it would be a challenge to catch up.

“Obviously, it’s not what we were hoping for,” he said.

Lathim was not able to close in enough on Dye’s advantage in the August primary. Dye finished in first place in that race, with 48 percent. Lathim went to a machine recount to confirm his second-place finish over Kenneth Caylor of Othello.

The candidates agreed on many issues, both opposing a state transportation bill that included a gas tax increase. They did differ on a proposed closure of part of a statewide trail that goes through the large district. Lathim criticized Dye for her role in putting the closure of a 135-mile stretch of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in the capital budget. The budget was approved, but the trail closure was overturned because of inaccurate wording.

Lathim also felt it was important for the west side of the six-county district to be represented. Adams and Franklin counties are largely Hispanic, with an economy that relies largely on wine grapes and tree fruit.

Franklin County remains the only county among the 25 largest in Washington without a House or Senate member in Olympia. Lathim said that with Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, and Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, possibly serving many more years, that doesn’t appear likely to change soon.

“It may be 20 years before Pasco and Franklin County have an opportunity to be represented in the Legislature,” he said.

Lathim was disappointed in the turnout, particularly in Franklin County. Despite having the largest number of District 9 residents of the six counties, it had only the third-highest number of votes cast in the initial release, behind Asotin and Whitman counties.

Dye had a large fundraising lead over Lathim, bringing in $62,406, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Large companies like Walmart and Monsanto, as well as other legislators, got behind her. Lathim raised $13,347, which is less than he brought in during his unsuccessful reelection campaign for sheriff in 2014.

Dye will feel more confident going to Olympia next year than she did in May, eight days after being appointed by county commissioners to replace former Rep. Susan Fagan, who resigned amid an ethics investigation, she said.

“When I arrived in Olympia, I was impressed with how confident the other women in our caucus were after going through election campaigns,” she said. “I hadn’t had the opportunity to do that. Going through an election really honed my leadership skills.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 10:12 PM with the headline "Dye leads Lathim in race for state legislature."