FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2024
Contact: [email protected]

Seattle, WA – Today, Washington State certified the August primary results for Public Lands Commissioner after a manual hand recount in the closest primary election in state history, confirming King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove’s second place finish by a margin of just 53 votes. Upthegrove will face former Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler in the November general election.

Despite a close open primary, five Democratic candidates captured approximately 57% of the vote, while the two Republican candidates combined for approximately 43%, a promising indicator that Upthegrove will win in November. 

As a U.S. Representative in 2017, Herrera Beutler was the sole Washington or Oregon lawmaker to vote against $100 million for wildfire work. Fighting wildfires on state lands is one of the Commissioner of Public Lands’ primary responsibilities. Herrera Beutler’s vote not only shows a complete disregard for Washington families and businesses impacted by wildfire, but proves she’s not ready to do the job as Commissioner of Public Lands. In contrast, Upthegrove is the only candidate endorsed by the Sierra Club and Washington Conservation Action and has pledged to make climate resilient communities one of his top priorities. 

“Today we celebrate the Washington Democrats volunteers and the Upthegrove campaign’s efforts to cure ballots, ensuring that every lawfully cast ballot was counted,” said Shasti Conrad, Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party. “Their efforts ensured that Washington voters will have a candidate in the general election for Public Lands Commissioner who not only believes in human-caused climate, but who will work passionately to restore health and resilience to our state forested lands and iconic waterways. We need everyone who voted for a Democratic candidate in this race to unite behind Dave’s historic campaign and ensure we have leaders who believe in science deciding our public lands policy.”

The Washington State Democratic Party is committed to advancing progressive policy, empowering the grassroots, and ensuring Democratic victories up and down the ballot. Chair of the Washington Democrats, Shasti Conrad, is the first Indian-American woman to chair a major state party.

###