Republican state Rep. Travis Couture led Democratic challenger Maria Littlesun districtwide in early returns Tuesday night in the race for state representative, Position 2, in the 35th Legislative District.
Districtwide, Couture had 14,344 votes, or 51.7%, to Littlesun’s 13,350, or 48.1%, according to the Washington Secretary of State.
Kitsap County voters also favored Couture, 55.1% to 44.7%, or 6,484 votes to 5,265, 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.
Couture, a Navy veteran and Mason County general contractor and business owner, has represented the district since 2023 and is the House Republican budget leader. He has emphasized cost of living, controlling state spending and public safety.
Littlesun, a social worker and crisis responder who has also worked as a certified nursing assistant, peer counselor and care coordinator, is seeking office for the first time. She has said she wants to strengthen public schools and address homelessness and housing.
In the Aug. 4 primary, Couture received 26,651 votes (53.2%) districtwide and Littlesun 23,368 votes (46.7%). In Kitsap County, Couture had 6,023 votes (57.5%) and Littlesun 4,442 votes (42.4%).
The 35th District covers all of Mason County and parts of Thurston and Kitsap counties.
Leave a Reply