PORT ANGELES — Mark Nichols led William Payne in the first count of primary election ballots.
The primary election vote didn’t decide the Clallam County prosecuting attorney race.
Instead, it shows present support for candidates in the race that will be decided in the Nov. 4 general election.
Port Angeles Republican Mark Nichols won 5,962 votes, or 52 percent.
Fellow Republican William Payne, who was appointed to the position in January, won 5,525 votes, or 48.1 percent.
Payne was named to serve the last year on retired prosecutor Deborah Kelly’s four-year term.
Nichols, the county’s half-time hearings examiner, was a longtime chief civil deputy in the office under Kelly, was promoted to acting supervisor when she resigned Dec. 31.
