Schrier maintains lead; Meline clings to 42-vote edge for second

NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON – Incumbent U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier continued to hold a commanding lead Wednesday afternoon in Washington's 8th Congressional District primary, while Republican Spencer Meline maintained a razor-thin lead over fellow Republican Trinh Ha in the race for the second spot on the November ballot.

According to results updated at 4:51 p.m. Wednesday, Schrier received 53.74% of the vote, or 72,111 votes.

Meline remained in second place with 15.18%, or 20,373 votes, holding a 42-vote advantage over Ha, who had 15.15% of the vote, or 20,331 votes.

Republican Bob Hagglund received 11.17% of the vote with 14,990 votes. Republican Andres Valleza received 2.37% with 3,186 votes, while Democrat Keith Arnold received 2.23% with 2,994 votes.

Under Washington's top-two primary system, the two candidates receiving the most votes advance to the Nov. 3 general election regardless of party affiliation.

With only 42 votes separating Meline and Ha, the race for second remained too close to call as election officials continued counting ballots.

In Chelan County, Schrier led the field with 49.44% of the vote, totaling 8,866 votes.

Meline continued to run second locally with 19.67%, or 3,528 votes, followed by Ha with 14.29%, or 2,563 votes. Hagglund received 12.85% with 2,305 votes. Arnold received 1.87% with 336 votes, while Valleza received 1.77% with 318 votes.

Although Ha remained within striking distance districtwide, Meline continued to outperform her in Chelan County and held an advantage in several other counties as additional ballots were counted.

Schrier has represented Washington's 8th Congressional District since 2019. The district includes Chelan and Kittitas counties, portions of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, and a small portion of Douglas County.

In Chelan County, election officials had counted 18,265 ballots as of Wednesday afternoon, representing 33% voter turnout among the county's 55,034 registered voters.

Election results remain unofficial until certified, and additional ballot counts are expected throughout the week as counties continue processing mail ballots. Ward Media will continue updating this story as new election results become available.