Democrat Upthegrove in lead for public lands commissioner over Herrera Beutler

Democrat Dave Upthegrove is in the lead for Washington Public Lands Commissioner, beating Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler.

Upthegrove currently is leading with 52.99% of the vote, while Herrera Beutler has 46.79%. Over 2.53 million votes have been cast to this point. He is leading in a close race where nearly 20% were undecided just a few days before.

A win for Upthegrove would make history as the first out LGBT statewide executive office holder in Washington, according to his website.

According to The Washington State Standard, the Public Lands Commissioner leads the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and oversees nearly 6 million acres of state public land. This includes around 3 million acres of “trust lands” that produce revenue for logging, schools, counties and other parts of government.

Hilary Franz, who had held the position since 2017, decided to exit the job for a chance to be in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Upthegrove vs. Herrera Beutler: How we got here

Seven people competed in the August primary to be the new DNR head. Upthegrove clinched a spot in the general election over Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson, according to the Office of the Secretary of State. Upthegrove held a remarkably slim margin of 51 votes — or less than one-hundredth of a percentage point — before the recount shrunk the voting difference to just 49 votes.

Herrera Beutler claimed the most votes, leading Upthegrove by just under 23,000. The Seattle Times called it one of the tightest statewide races in the last 20 years.

Then in September, Herrera Beutler and Upthegrove faced off in a debate where both candidates committed to involving Native nations in their decisions.

Cascade PBS outlined other takeaways, such as Upthegrove criticizing Herrera Beutler for prioritizing the national debt ceiling over getting money to fight Washington wildfires. The media outlet reported Herrera Beutler defended her vote, saying she voted for more money the next year.

Herrera Beutler questioned why King County missed its carbon emission goals with Upthegrove on the council. She also questioned why the state had increased its endangered species list while he was in the Legislature. Upthegrove rebutted, saying while in his position he worked with Native nations, conservationists and industry to address environmental issues.

Upthegrove serves as the chair of the King County Council and chair of the King County Flood Control District.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and both of the state’s Democratic U.S. senators — Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray — have endorsed Upthegrove. He was also endorsed by the Washington State Council of Firefighters, Washington Education Association and Machinists Union IAM 751, among others.

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Herrera Beutler served as Southwest Washington’s representative in Congress from 2011-2023. She also represented parts of Clark and Cowlitz County in the Washington State House of Representatives from 2007-2010.

“Tens of thousands of jobs supported by working forests in rural Washington would have been impacted if not for her successful legislation to protect access to these lands from onerous regulations,” her website states.

Herrera Beutler has been endorsed by The Seattle Times, the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and The News Tribune, among others.

Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.