A Nail-Biter at the Polls
Sam Allard claims a slim primary victory for commissioner, decided by the very last precinct to report.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In one of the most exciting and closely contested political battles ever staged in this commissioner district, Sam Allard emerged a winner over C. H. McCready for the republican nomination for commissioner last Tuesday by the narrow margin of 10 votes. Although Allard carried 5 of the 7 precincts in the district, his majorities were so small in all but the White Bluffs precinct that the final result was in doubt until the Patterson precinct reported. Allard carried that precinct 15 to 0. The total vote in the district was Allard, 345; McCready, 335.
“The final result was in doubt until the Patterson precinct reported.”
Local elections in rural Washington continue to be defined by these tight margins, where individual precincts hold outsized influence over the outcome. The high stakes of this commissioner race highlight the centralization of power in the county seat and the intense community interest in local infrastructure and resources.
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