The Washington State Republican Party (WAGOP) recently filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Clark County challenging the results of the 2024 Legislative District 18 State Senator race. In this closely contested race, Republican candidate Brad Benton is trailing his Democrat opponent, Adrian Cortes, by just 172 votes out of a total of 84,123 votes cast. Benton received 41,881 votes (49.79%), while Cortes garnered 42,053 votes (49.99%).
The WAGOP, represented by attorney Joal Ard, is contesting the election results and is calling for a new election to be held. Their main argument is that over 1,000 votes counted in the race were cast by individuals who no longer resided in Legislative District 18 at the time of the election.
According to reports, more than 1,000 registered voters had informed the United States Postal Service (USPS) of their change of address and had moved out of LD 18 before ballots were mailed out for the November 5, 2024 general election. WAGOP State Chairman Jim Walsh expressed outrage on Twitter, questioning why these individuals were allowed to vote and why election officials in Washington State had not updated their databases to prevent such discrepancies.
Legislative District 18 is one of 49 districts in Washington state that are represented in the state legislature. Located within Clark County, LD 18 borders the 20th district to the north, the 14th district to the east, and the 49th and 17th districts to the southwest. The district includes six of the seven incorporated cities in Clark County, such as Ridgefield, Battle Ground, Camas, Washougal, Vancouver, La Center, and Yacolt, as well as several unincorporated localities.
Notably, LD 18 underwent redistricting in 2022, resulting in longtime State Senator Ann Rivers losing her seat. While current State Representative Stephanie McClintock (position 1) successfully retained her seat in the election, Representative Greg Cheney (position 2), who was vying for the State Senate position, was defeated by Brad Benton in the primary. Both Rivers and Cheney will soon be exiting the legislature.
In the 2024 general election, Conservative candidate John Ley secured the LD 18 position 2 “open seat,” previously held by Cheney, with a comfortable margin of over 1,600 votes against his Democratic opponent. Currently, the Democrats maintain control of the Washington State Senate with a 28-21 majority.
Bill Bruch, the WA State GOP Election Integrity Chairman, and WSRP Executive Board Member, has been actively involved in advocating for election integrity and is a respected figure within the Republican Party in Washington State. As the legal battle over the LD 18 State Senator race unfolds, the outcome could have significant implications for the balance of power in the state legislature.
