Schmick leads Wallace

COLFAX – If the initial ballot count is any indication, incumbent lawmaker Joe Schmick looks like he's headed back to Olympia.

At the end of the first day of counting in the Aug. 4 primary election, Schmick, R-Colfax, had a 29-point-plus lead over his Democratic challenger Karina Wallace.

Schmick received 16,339 votes in his bid to retain Legislative District No. 9 Position No. 2 seat. Wallace trailed with only 8,975 votes. In other words, Schmick scored 64.43% of the vote while Wallace had 33.39%.

That's almost the same as Schmick's last race in 2024, when he topped Pam Kohlmeier, a Spokane D...