2016 Election: A Washington primary primer

Like high school seniors wading through their post-graduation options, Mid-Columbia voters have some homework and a hard deadline to get it done.

The state’s primary is Aug. 2 and ballots will begin hitting mailboxes in just over a month.

All races with three or more candidates will be included in the primary.

The top two finishers, no matter which party they belong to, will advance to the Nov. 8 general election. For 2016, that means more than a dozen races will appear on the primary ballot, giving local voters plenty to study.

At the statewide level, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D.-Wash., faces a field of 16 challengers and U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., has four challengers. Most statewide offices, including governor, have multiple candidates, as do a handful of local positions representing the Mid-Columbia in the Washington Legislature.

Locally, four posts in the state Legislature will feature primary runoffs, as will the race to represent Washington’s Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ballots will be mailed about July 12, and must be postmarked by election day. Deadline to register is July 25 for new voters and July 4 to transfer voter registration. Voters pamphlets will be published online only.

Here’s a roundup of the races that involve the Mid-Columbia. Watch the Tri-City Herald for in-depth coverage of local races in coming weeks. View past stories online at tricityherald/election.

Legislative District 8

(Benton County)

Representative Position 1

Incumbent Brad Klippert, a Kennewick Republican, is being challenged by Rick Jansons, a Richland Republican, and Ryan Knight Cooper, a Kennewick Libertarian.

Legislative District 9

(Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Spokane and Whitman counties)

State Representative Position 1

The race includes incumbent Mary Dye, a Pomeroy Republican, Jennifer Goulet, a Pasco Democrat, and Hailey Roemer, a Pullman Republican.

Legislative District 16

(Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Walla Walla counties)

State Representative Position 1

The race for the spot being vacated by Maureen Walsh includes Republicans Allen Pomraning of Walla Walla, Bill Jenkin of Prosser, Skyler Rude of Walla Walla and Mary Ruth Edwards of Prosser, and Democrat Rebecca Francik of Pasco.

State Representative Position 2

Incumbent Terry Nealey, a Dayton Republican, is being challenged by fellow Republican Ricardo Espinoza of Pasco and Democrat Gary Downing of Kennewick.

Statewide races

U.S. Senate

Washington’s senior senator, Democrat Patty Murray, has more than a dozen competitors, including three Democrats and four Republicans and nine independents and minor party candidates.

U.S. Representative, Fourth District

Freshman Rep. Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside faces a rematch against Republican Clint Didier, a Franklin County farmer and former NFL player. The race features a third Republican, Glenn Jakeman, a Yakima retiree, and two Democrats, John (the man) Malan of Pasco and Doug McKinley of Richland.

Governor

Democrat Jay Inslee is being challenged by three Democrats, three Republicans and four Independents or minor party candidates. His chief competition is Republican Bill Bryant of Tacoma.

Lieutenant Governor

The open position has 11 candidates, including four Democrats, four Republicans, one Libertarian and two other candidates.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Kim Wyman, Washington’s only Republican statewide office holder, is being challenged by a Democrat, Tina Podlowski of Seattle, and Libertarian, Tim Turner of Redmond.

State Treasurer

Benton County Treasurer Duane Davidson, a Richland Republican, is seeking the post along with three Democrats and one other Republican.

State Auditor

Two Democrats, a Republican and two unaffiliated candidates are running.

Commissioner of Public Lands

Five Democrats, one Republican and one Libertarian are running for the position.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

The nonpartisan race has nine candidates, including one Tri-Citian, Ron Higgins of West Richland.

Insurance Commissioner

The race includes one Democrat, one Republican and one Libertarian.

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "2016 Election: A Washington primary primer."