Republican incumbents garner election night leads in WA 16th District primary

District 16’s three Republican incumbents held leads over their Democratic challengers in early results of the Tuesday, Aug. 6, primary election.

Perry Dozier, Mark Klicker and Skyler Rude are running for reelection to represent the Walla Walla Valley and Legislative District 16 at the state level.

“I think the results show that constituents are happy with pretty much all of us incumbents (in District 16), and with our bipartisan efforts,” Klicker said Tuesday.

Their opponents are each first-time legislative candidates who are active in the local Democratic party.

The Democratic candidates, including Dr. Linda Gunshefski who faces Klicker for the Position 1 representative seat, and supporters tuned in to the results from an election night party at the party’s office downtown.

Candidates Kari Isaacson, facing Dozier for the senate seat, and Craig Woodard, facing Rude for representative Position 2, peeled away to view the first round of results at the Walla Walla County Courthouse after 8 p.m.

With no more than two candidates on the ballot for each seat, all will advance to the general election.

Election night results included 5,401 ballots, amounting to a 14.45% turnout in Walla Walla County.

District 16 also includes parts of Franklin and Benton counties, including parts of Richland, West Richland and Benton City in the Tri-Cities area. The results from the Office of the Secretary of State reflect votes from those areas, too, with about 15,800 total votes cast.

An estimated 6,000 ballots remain to be counted in Walla Walla County, though that number might rise in coming days as ballots arrive by mail and those collected from drop boxes at 8 p.m. Tuesday are processed.

Here’s where the candidates stood as of Tuesday. Walla Walla County results are expected to be updated at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, according to the elections office.

Senator

Q&A: Perry Dozier and Kari Isaacson, District 16 senate seat

Perry Dozier faces off against Kari Isaacson in the race for the District 16 senate seat. 

Dozier had a healthy lead over Democratic challenger Isaacson in Walla Walla County and the district as a whole as of Tuesday.

He earned a total of 10,173 votes, or 64.3%, as of election night. Among Walla Walla County voters, he earned 58% of the vote.

Dozier, 65, was elected to the office in 2020. He owns and operates a Waitsburg-area ranch and previously served as the president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. He has held roles on other agriculture-focused boards and commissions, and he was a Walla Walla County commissioner from 2009 to 2016.

He said the results affirm that people have the confidence in his representation of southeast Washington, with this being the first election under new boundaries because of redistricting.

“So far, the numbers look really strong,” Dozier said. “I’m happy with it.”

Isaacson, 71, a retired business and nonprofit executive, had 5,646 total votes, or 35.7%, and earned 42% of the vote in Walla Walla County.

She retired as executive director of the Blue Mountain Community Foundation in 2020. At times a precinct committee officer, chair and treasurer for the Walla Walla County Democratic Party, Isaacson stepped down as chair for the duration of her campaign.

Issacson said she was encouraged by the early results.

“We’re just getting started,” she said from the courthouse Tuesday night.

Representative Position 1

Q&A: Linda Gunshefski and Mark Klicker, District 16 Representative Position 1

Linda Gunshefski trails Mark Klicker in fundraising but leads in spending for the District 16 representative Position 1 race. 

Klicker led Gunshefski in the primary race for District 16 representative Position 1.

He earned a total of 10,299 votes, or 65%, as of election night. Among Walla Walla County voters, he earned 59.4% of the vote.

Klicker, 61, was elected to the seat in 2020 and reelected in 2022. He is a farm and ranch realtor and has had a lifetime role with Klicker family farms.

He said he feels good about the early results and heading into the general election. He emphasized that he and the other incumbents work together with other lawmakers in the region “on legislation that works for the people in the 16th, but at the same time, it dovetails with all the other districts in our area.”

His opponent is Gunshefski, 63, who owns and operates a medical office in Walla Walla. She is an eye physician and surgeon and has served as a precinct committee officer for the Democratic party.

She had 5,541 total votes, or 35%, and earned 40.6% of the vote in Walla Walla County.

Gunshefski said she found the early results encouraging and was motivated to keep working ahead of the general election.

“I believe I can win it,” she said.

She said she appreciates the voters casting ballots despite what she called an inadequate voters guide. The printed guide mailed to Walla Walla County voters did not include District 16 races. The local elections office directed voters to the state’s online guide for those races.

She spent her Election Day evening with the Walla Walla County Democrats and said the night was upbeat.

“We know we’ve got work to do, but we’re feeling energized, and we feel like we can get this done,” Gunshefski said.

Representative Position 2

Q&A: Skyler Rude and Craig Woodard, District 16 Representative Position 2

Skyler Rude faces Craig Woodard in the race for District 16 representative Position 2. 

Rude led challenger Woodard for representative Position 2 as of primary election night with a total of 10,531 votes, or 66.7%.

Among Walla Walla County voters, Rude earned 62.1% of the vote.

Rude, 38, a real estate broker, has held the seat since 2019. He was first elected in 2018 and reelected in 2020 and 2022.

He faces Woodard, 64, a retired union electrician and union operating engineer who has been active in the local Democratic party as a precinct committee officer and party secretary.

Woodard had 5,245 total votes, or 33.2%, and earned 37.9% of the vote in Walla Walla County and said he wasn’t displeased.

Ahead of the general election, Woodard said he wants to focus on supporting working men and women in the district, good paying jobs, families, and a woman’s right to choose and access to abortion.

Rude said he was pleased with the numbers. Like his Republican colleagues, he called it an unofficial poll on constituent support.

He said he’s grateful to have Woodard as an opponent.

“I've had the chance to meet (him) once, and clearly he's interested in running a civil campaign, and I appreciate that,” Rude said. “That's been my style for the last six years.”