7th Legislative District will have new representatives

NEWPORT – For the first time in more than 10 years, Washington’s 7th Legislative District representative positions are wide open, after Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, and Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic, didn’t seek reelection.

Republican candidate Andrew Engell won the most votes districtwide as of Monday, with 14,409 votes for the position 2 seat held by Maycumber. That’s 45.43% of the votes. Soo Ing-Moody, another Republican, is in second place with 26.6% of the districtwide vote, 8,439 votes.

Ing-Moody wasn’t ready to call it a win yet. Initially, Teagan Levine was in second place after the first vote count, but subsequent counts have given Ing-Moody the edge. She leads by less than 150 votes over Levine.

“It’s still too early to call but I remain excited about the prospect of working in service to the people of Pend Oreille County,” Ing-Moody said.

Engell received 50.22% in Pend Oreille County, 1,928 votes. Republican candidate Teagan Levine came in second in the county, with 23.78% or 913 votes.

Engell said working for Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers was an advantage for him.

“I believe that my years of experience with Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, where I have worked with countless voters and many community and civic leaders in Pend Oreille County, combined with my private sector and volunteer experience has developed my reputation as one of integrity, respect, and effectiveness,” Engell said. He said he is a conservative family man who understands the challenges and needs of rural communities and listens to and treats all people with fairness and respect. “This combined with the work I’ve done over the past few months attending parades, community events, and knocking on doors has resulted in large numbers of Pend Oreille voters choosing me as the person they want to represent them in Olympia.” For position 1, Republican Hunter Abell was leading districtwide as of Monday, with 34.21% of the votes, 11,291. Democratic candidate Paul “Rocky” Dean came in second districtwide, with 22.48% of the votes districtwide, 6,399 votes. Abell got 32.57% of the votes in Pend Oreille County, 1,395 votes. Dean had the second most votes in the county, 27.9% or 1,195 votes.

Abell said he was happy with the results in Pend Oreille County.

“We campaigned hard in Pend Oreille County and the voters obviously noticed,” he said. “We also had the support of many dedicated and loyal volunteers. I am so thankful to them for their support. They assisted with everything from parade participation to putting up signs. This campaign was a grassroots effort, and it simply would not have succeeded without their support and friendship.”

Dean said the race in Pend Oreille County was close.

“In Pend Oreille County, I finished second in a tight race where the top three candidates were all within a few percentage points of each other,” he said. “While I didn’t come in first, I’m proud of how my focus on engaging with local voters and addressing community concerns resonated strongly.”

Dean said he listened to people while attending local events and met with people face-toface.

“This hands-on approach is key to building trust and ensuring I represent area interests effectively. As a moderate Democrat, I’m committed to finding common ground and working collaboratively to solve problems, always focusing on practical solutions that benefit everyone,” he said.

The 7th Legislative District includes all of Pend Oreille, Ferry, Stevens, Douglas and Okanogan, counties and portions of Grant and Spokane counties.