Democratic state Rep. Greg Nance held a commanding lead over Republican challenger Lance Byrd in early returns Tuesday night in the race for state representative, Position 2, in the 23rd Legislative District.
Nance had 36,882 votes, or 70.8%, to Byrd’s 15,158, or 29.1%, a margin of 21,724 votes, according to unofficial results posted by the Kitsap County Auditor’s Office at 8:13 p.m. Tuesday.
Countywide, 92,136 ballots had been counted, a turnout of 45.1% of Kitsap County’s 204,242 registered voters.
The Kitsap County Auditor’s Office will keep counting ballots in the coming days, including mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day, and results can change. The county is scheduled to certify the election Nov. 24.
The winner will serve a two-year term.
Nance has held the seat since 2023 and is co-chair of the Legislature’s Maritime Caucus. He co-founded Moneythink, a nonprofit focused on reducing student debt, and is a former board member of Kitsap Mental Health Services. He has emphasized ferry funding, citing $895 million secured this session for new vessels and reliability.
Byrd, a senior technical program manager with more than 26 years in information technology, lost to Sen. Drew Hansen in the 2024 race for the 23rd District Senate seat. He has said he would focus on affordability, safety-net services and practical governance. He volunteers at Refuge Church in Bremerton.
In the Aug. 4 primary, Nance received 27,915 votes (58.1%), Byrd 14,202 votes (29.6%) and Democrat Kristin Lillegard 5,882 votes (12.2%). The 23rd District lies entirely in Kitsap County, covering Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, North Kitsap, Silverdale and part of Bremerton.
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