Losers in the Nov. 2 general election are taking stock of their rejection by voters but are looking forward to getting on with their non-election-related lives, they said in recent interviews.
Republican Dan Gase of Port Angeles lost to incumbent 24th Legislative District Position 1 Democratic incumbent Kevin Van De Wege, 36, of Sequim, 34,818 votes to 27,182, or 56 percent to 44 percent.
The 24th District includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and the northern half of Grays Harbor County. A combined 60 votes will be counted in all three counties by Nov. 23, when the election will be certified.
Gase, 57, lost more than an election. Call it the campaign diet.
He shed 18 pounds from walking North Olympic Peninsula neighborhoods and ringing thousands of doorbells, and for that he’s glad.
“I’m going to try to try to lose another 10,” he said Monday.
“I hadn’t planned on losing weight from the campaigning, but it was a nice side result, so I thought I might try to keep it up,” he said, adding, about the election, “I am completely at peace with the process.”
Gase is resuming his real estate managing broker and consultant activities full-time, he said.
Republican Jim McEntire, 60, of Sequim, who lost to Democrat and Clallam County Commissioner Steve Tharinger, 61, also of Sequim, was “not in too much of an analytical mood,” he said late last week.
A Port of Port Angeles commissioner, McEntire lost to Tharinger 32,143 votes to 29,328 votes, or 52 percent to 48 percent.
But he won Clallam County by more than 1,000 votes.
After “going full speed” for six months, McEntire “wanted to stop the churn a bit,” he said late last week.
“I’ve got to slow down and reconnect with my family and focus on my current obligation as an elected port commissioner,” McEntire added.
On Monday, he added, “I’m not out of public life. I’ll cross whatever bridge that comes along when I get to it.”
Of two Clallam County incumbents who were defeated by voters, Treasurer Judy Scott was taking her time to decide what the future holds while Community Development Director John Miller was moving on as quickly as possible.
“I’ve lost jobs before,” said Miller, 61.
Sheila Roark Miller, 51 and no relation to the incumbent, defeated Miller 15,264 votes to 13,294 votes, or 53 percent to 47 percent.
Miller, former executive director for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, “was approached by a potential employer the day after the election,” he said.
A tribe in Snohomish County that he would not identify has expressed an interest in hiring him, he said.
“I intend to pursue my options and hope to be gainfully employed in January.”
Treasurer Scott of Port Angeles, defeated by Selinda Barkhuis, 48, a Community Development Department planner, 14,318 votes to 13,868 votes, or 51 percent to 49 percent, has worked in the treasurer’s office for 27 years.
Scott was in her early 30s when she started there.
Now at age 59, her future is somewhat formless, she said Monday.
“My options are kind of way up in the air,” she said.
“I’ll be looking for early retirement if I can manage it. If not, I’ll be looking for work.
“I don’t have anything specific in mind. I didn’t really plan on losing.”
Scott knows, though, what she won’t be doing, and that’s running for office again, she said.
She ran unopposed in 2006 and did not know what to expect from a contested race, she said.
“This is my first experience doing it, and it will be my last, absolutely,” Scott said.
“I’m not taking this anymore.”
Scott was under constant fire from Barkhuis during the campaign because of an embezzlement of more than $617,467 from her office.
Former office cashier Catherine Betts has been charged in connection with the alleged theft.
Betts has pleaded not guilty to first-degree theft, and a status hearing on her case is due Thursday in county Superior Court.
Beaver UPS driver Robin Poole, a Republican, who was defeated by incumbent Clallam County Commissioner Mike Doherty, 67, of Port Angeles, a Democrat, had planned to retire next year anyway, he said.
Doherty won with 16,494 votes to Poole’s 15,426 votes, or 52 percent to 48 percent.
“I’ll go hunting and fishing, and I’ve got grandkids,” said Poole, 61.
“I’ll be doing a lot of the grandpa stuff.”
Sequim lawyer Larry Freedman, 72, was defeated by incumbent Republican Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Deb Kelly, 57, by 16,648 votes to 15,388 votes, or 52 percent to 48 percent.
“I’ll do what I’ve always done, which is practice law,” said Freedman, a Democrat.
Jefferson County
In Jefferson County, Republican Jim Boyer, 64, of Port Ludlow, who had put his homebuilding business on hiatus while he ran for county commissioner, was defeated by the incumbent, Democrat John Austin, 69, of Port Ludlow, by 9,708 votes to 7,085 votes, or 58 percent to 42 percent.
“We’ll go back to making a living and doing what we can to carry on, probably go back to building one house a year,” Boyer said.
“There are some niches we can hit. But financing is tough, so I don’t know.”
Independent candidate and Port Townsend lawyer Paul Richmond, 49, said he will go back to focusing on his law practice after his defeat to Scott Rosekrans, 58, for county prosecuting attorney, 9,869 votes to 6,021 votes, or 62 percent to 38 percent.
Port Townsend lawyer John Wood, 66, of Port Townsend, lost to incumbent District Court Judge Jill Landes, 60, of Port Townsend, 7,956 votes to 6,681 votes, or 54 percent to 46 percent.
Wood did not return a call for comment.
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Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
