The ballots tallied so far in the race for Lewis County commissioner in District 3 favor incumbent Commissioner Scott Brummer, who is seeking re-election to serve his second term in the seat representing the southern and eastern portions of the county.
Preliminary results published by the Lewis County Auditor’s Office just after 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening show Brummer with 53.29% (15,216 votes) of the vote and challenger Michael Hadaller with 44.50% (12,707 votes).
“I am feeling good about it,” Brummer told The Chronicle at his election night watch party in Centralia. “I am super proud of the positive campaign that we’ve ran. We’ve got lots of good supporters, and I appreciate the faith and trust that the people of Lewis County have put into me. And I am going to continue to work hard and fight for the people every day that I’m in office, and that’s going to continue. It’s going to continue all the way through the four years. That’s my commitment, and I am going to be dedicated to keeping Lewis County a good place to live.”
Brummer took time to praise Hadaller for the time, money and effort he has put into his campaign, noting that Hadaller “ran a positive campaign for the most part.”
Brummer and Hadaller are both local politicians and Republicans facing off for one of just three seats that lead the Lewis County government. The two candidates were the first two to declare their campaigns to the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) back in January and advanced through the August primary election with relative ease.
Lewis County Democrats Chair Zac Eckstein came in third in that race and did not advance to the general.
While the primary gathered votes for the seat exclusively from District 3, the general election included voters from the entire county.
While Brummer led in the primary, he has also raised and spent significantly less money than Hadaller during the campaign. The most recent data from the PDC shows funds raised by Brummer at just shy of $9,500 and funds spent hovering around $6,000.
Hadaller, a current Lewis County PUD commissioner, has been the bigger fundraiser, bringing in nearly $40,000, with nearly $17,000 of that coming from his own contributions. He has spent just shy of $39,000, according to PDC filings.
Brummer has touted his experience in his role as commissioner, showing confidence in the job he has done so far serving four years in the role. Brummer was elected to the seat in the 2022 general election and was sworn into the seat immediately after certification. He filled a seat that was previously held by well known Packwood resident Lee Grose, who served out the remainder of a term originally intended for Commissioner Gary Stamper, who died while in office.
Hadaller has been critical of Brummer, pointing to difficult budget sessions for the county and a high-profile lawsuit that cost the county upwards of half a million dollars. Hadaller has also hammered Brummer for his residency just south of Winlock in the westernmost part of the district, which stretches all the way to the county’s eastern border. Hadaller is the son of once popular east county resident and Lewis County Commissioner Dennis Hadaller.
A near lifelong resident, Hadaller, like other candidates, including Eckstein, has claimed Brummer does not adequately represent the eastern reaches of the county and communities such as Morton, Randle and Packwood.
Hadaller has faced criticism related to a dated criminal record, including a 1995 charge for attempting to elude law enforcement and an even older charge of domestic violence dating back to the late 1980s.
Hadaller has also faced recent health challenges, just last month suffering a heart attack and undergoing a hospital stay before reappearing at a Lewis County PUD commissioners meeting the following week.
Tuesday’s results are preliminary. More ballots will be tallied in the days ahead. The election will be certified by the Washington secretary of state by Dec. 3.
