Democratic state Rep. Tarra Simmons held a narrow lead over challenger Daria Ilgen, a fellow Democrat, after Wednesday’s count in the race for state representative, Position 1, in the 23rd Legislative District.
Simmons had 24,908 votes, or 49.8%, to Ilgen’s 24,461, or 48.9%, a margin of 447 votes, according to unofficial results posted by the Kitsap County Auditor’s Office at 3:34 p.m. Wednesday.
Countywide, 97,481 ballots had been counted, a turnout of 47.7% 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.
Simmons, an attorney and former registered nurse, was first elected to the House in 2020 and is seeking a fourth term. She is vice chair of the Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee and deputy speaker pro tempore. She became the first Washington legislator with felony convictions, which were vacated in 2023.
In August, the Legislative Ethics Board found Simmons committed three violations of conflict-of-interest and special-privilege laws and fined her; the penalty was later increased to $52,000 to cover the state’s costs. Simmons has said she did nothing wrong and plans to appeal.
Ilgen, a Democratic precinct committee officer, serves on the executive boards of the 23rd District and Kitsap County Democrats and on the boards of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, Kitsap Community Foundation and Olympic College Foundation. He led the North Kitsap School District’s 2024 levy campaign.
In the Aug. 4 primary, Simmons received 24,583 votes (57.2%) and Ilgen 16,753 votes (39.0%). The 23rd District lies entirely in Kitsap County and includes Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Kingston, Hansville, Suquamish, Keyport, Silverdale and part of Bremerton.
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