PORT ANGELES – Clallam County Commissioner Steve Tharinger appeared headed toward a third term on Tuesday, leading challenger Bob Forde.
The Dungeness Democrat out-polled the Sequim Republican 8,191 to 5,833, or 58.41 to 41.59 percent, in preliminary ballot totals.
“I appreciate the voters of Clallam County, that they understand and support the work we’ve done the last eight years,” Tharinger said, having spent much of Election Day taking down his campaign signs across the county.
Forde said, “We’ll wait and see” about uncounted ballots, but added that the early trend was discouraging.
Thirty-four percent of the 43,296 ballots mailed to Clallam County registered voters on Oct. 17 had been counted Tuesday night.
Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said that at least 4,516 additional ballots were in hand but not processed.
