Commissioner Emily Clouse held 53.34% of the vote in early returns for the Thurston County District 5 seat on Nov. 3, leading challenger Nic Dunning by about 5,000 votes.

Clouse, a Democrat seeking her second term, collected 31,898 votes in the initial count released by the county Auditor's Office on election night, The Olympian reported. Dunning, a self-described moderate Democrat, trailed with 26,909 votes, or 44.99%, according to the Nisqually Valley News.

The results are preliminary. The election night tally did not include ballots collected on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the Auditor's Office did not schedule any ballot processing for that day, according to The Olympian. Turnout stood at about 31% of 214,940 registered voters, with many ballots still to be counted.

The early lead marks a reversal from the August primary, where Dunning finished first with 38.36% of the vote (5,662 votes) and Clouse came in second at 34.68% (5,119 votes). A third candidate, North Thurston Public Schools Board Member Michelle Gibson, was eliminated with 25.22%.

One key difference between the two contests: the primary was open only to voters within District 5, which covers much of the Lacey area. The general election opened the race to all Thurston County voters.

Reached by The Olympian on election night, Clouse called the early results "amazing" and said she felt confident in her lead. She said she reviewed the preliminary numbers alongside other Democrats at Altitude 15 in downtown Olympia.

Dunning did not answer a phone call from The Olympian but sent a text message, the newspaper reported. He said he was waiting to see how the remaining votes came in and had no other comment.

A turbulent first term

Clouse's first term was marked by friction with fellow commissioners. In 2024, the board censured her following a third-party investigation into her relationship with an executive aide, according to The Olympian. The county paid the aide $300,000 in a settlement. A recall petition stemming from the investigation was dismissed by a lower court in January 2025, and the state Supreme Court upheld that dismissal early in 2026.

Clouse refused calls to resign and committed to leadership training, The Olympian reported. She reported knocking on more than 6,000 doors while canvassing ahead of the general election.

Dunning, a Marine veteran who owns a Lacey gym, resigned from the Lacey City Council in August to focus on the commissioner race. He had joined the council in 2024, with a term set to expire in 2027. He presented himself as a "common sense candidate" whose campaign focused on criticizing Clouse's record on the board.

A $22.3 million projected deficit awaits

Whoever wins will face a projected $22.3 million general fund deficit for 2027. Budget Manager Summer Miller told the Board of Commissioners in June that the county planned to spread cuts over three years to avoid what County Manager Leonard Hernandez called a single-year reduction that would be "catastrophic," The Olympian reported in June.

The plan calls for $5.5 million in cuts in 2027, $4.5 million in 2028 and $4 million in 2029, plus drawing $1 million annually from the county's $4 million rainy day fund. The county's 2026 general fund budget is $147.8 million.

The District 5 seat carries weight on the five-person Board of County Commissioners, which oversees a $1 billion biennial budget. District 5 encompasses an area south of Lacey extending north between Olympia and Lacey toward Johnson Point.

Thurston County will post updated results daily until the county certifies them on Nov. 24. The Washington Secretary of State will then certify results by Dec. 3.