Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Lacey City Councilman Nicolas Martinez-Dunning and incumbent Emily Clouse finished as the top two candidates in the Thurston County Commissioner District No. 5 race in the Aug. 4 Primary Election.
Martinez-Dunning received 3,069 votes or 38.49 percent, while Clouse picked up 2,815 votes or 35.31 percent, updated unofficial results from the Thurston County Auditor's Office Elections Division showed at 6:18 p.m. on Wednesday.
South Sound YMCA Senior Director of Branch Operations Michelle Gipson was third with 1,958 votes or 24.56 percent. The top two candidates move on to the Nov. 3 General Election.
Martinez-Dunning said he was pleased with the outcome.
"Thank you to every single person who took the time to vote in the primary. Your support helped this grassroots campaign cut through the noise,” he said.
“We still have ballots left to count, but we’re happy with where we stand and want to keep an open door for anyone ready to jump on board as we move forward toward November."
In the race for the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office top slot, incumbent Derek Sanders received 31,298 votes or 70.04 percent. Challenger Kevin Burton-Crow picked up 13, 242 votes or 29.63 percent.
In the race for the Thurston County Assessor's role, JJ Olson received 22,213 votes or 56.10 percent and Lynda Nashed Zeman pulled in 16,287 votes or 41.13 percent.
In the race for the Thurston County Clerk's seat, Nicole Miller received 21,527 votes or 49.82 percent. Garrett Cady was close behind with 21,434 votes or 49.60 percent.
The candidates in the sheriff’s office, assessor and clerk races all move on to the Nov. 3 General Election.
Voter turnout stood at 21.00 percent. The next update is expected at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6. For unofficial Aug. 4 Primary Election results in Thurston County, click here.
Incumbent Emily Clouse and Lacey City Councilman Nicolas Martinez-Dunning emerged as the top two candidates in the Thurston County Commissioner District No. 5 race in the Aug. 4 Primary Election.
Martinez-Dunning received 2,160 votes or 37.91 percent, while Clouse picked up 2,000 votes or 35.10 percent, according to unofficial results released on Tuesday evening. The vote count is expected to be updated on Wednesday evening, Aug. 5.
South Sound YMCA Senior Director of Branch Operations Michelle Gipson was third with 1,440 votes or 25.27 percent. The top two candidates square off in the Nov. 3 General Election.
Martinez-Dunning said he was pleased with the initial outcome.
"Thank you to every single person who took the time to vote in the primary. Your support helped this grassroots campaign cut through the noise,” he said.
“We still have ballots left to count, but we’re happy with where we stand and want to keep an open door for anyone ready to jump on board as we move forward toward November."
In the race for the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office top slot, incumbent Derek Sanders received 21,386 votes or 69.48 percent. Challenger Kevin Burton-Crow picked up 9, 287 votes or 30.17 percent.
In the race for the Thurston County Assessor's role, JJ Olson received 15,257 votes or 55.96 percent and Lynda Nashed Zeman pulled in 11,259 votes or 41.30 percent.
In the race for the Thurston County Clerk's seat, Nicole Miller received 14,875 votes or 49.97 percent. Garrett Cady was close behind with 14,717 votes or 49.44 percent.
The candidates in the sheriff’s office, assessor and clerk races all move on to the Nov. 3 General Election.
Voter turnout stood at 14.72 percent.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with the latest unofficial results.
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JustSaying
Should be an interesting race in November.
Wednesday, August 5 Report this
CobraCommander
Clouse should drop out after claiming to be a combat veteran and refusing to elaborate because she said her duties were confidential. She has no combat badge and was an intelligence analyst. She also claimed to have driven tanks lol
Thursday, August 6 Report this
Boatyarddog
CobraCommander having read MANY of your comments, all good points. Where is your validity In denouncing E.Clouse as stating exactly what she could in her statement Experience. She Drove a tank is An LOL for you? Do you have proof Otherwise? Having a security clearance IS something required in Intellengence. Let us IN On your knowledge about her Statement... is it a Veteran Thing to denounce Women Serving in the Military? Or do you have truthful knowledge to share? Or just Your personal Opinion.
Thursday, August 6 Report this
Boatyarddog
The people's choice for Sheriff is Sanders, he will prevail because he has his thumb on the Pulse of Thurston County. A good Man with Talent AND brains.
Thursday, August 6 Report this
TheVirtualOne
Clouse is an incredibly incompetent person who has been nothing but a waste of bandwidth and resources due to her unprofessional conduct. Investigated and found guilty of inappropriate relationships with employees, total lack of integrity, poor judgment, and irresponsibility are the reasons she needs to go. She’s a perfect example of someone simply trying to stay in office and collect a fat paycheck at taxpayers expense, while doing nothing but causing trouble and making bad choices.
Friday, August 7 Report this
CobraCommander
Boatyarddog - She has stated that she was deployed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as an intelligence analyst - not a combat job. These deployments aren't combat-related, so the Army calls them 'forward deployments, not combat deployments.
Her self-disclosed list of awards does not mention any campaign ribbons or combat badges awarded to her, meaning she was never in combat.
Clouse said: “All women who are veterans have their experience and service downplayed by men who think that the only way to have the honor of being a combat veteran is to be under fire, and that’s such a narrow, short-sighted definition,” Clouse said to The Olympian.
She's saying right there she was never in combat.
From the Olympian article:
'When asked what she did during her deployment, Clouse said she had a security clearance that prevented her from fully detailing what she did.'
'She said she did go to Iraq toward the end of her deployment, but said she was not allowed to elaborate on what she did there.'
I also held a security clearance, and that doesn't mean I can't say what I did; it just means you can't talk about specifics. She seems to be using supposed secrecy to embellish the truth.
'Clouse shared that she earned an Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.'
None of these are combat or combat deployment-awarded ribbons. The first, the Army Achievement Medal, is given as a low-level achievement award for things like winning PT tests or unit competitions. The NDSM, GWoTEM, and ASR ribbons are literally given out at the end of Basic Training before one even gets to their assigned unit. The OSR means you were assigned to an overseas duty station, such as Japan or Germany. No Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syrian campaign ribbons listed, which could signify combat duties, but even those aren't awarded for direct combat. The Army awards three distinct combat badges. The CIB, or Combat Infantrymen's Badge for infantry positions, the Combat Medical Badge for combat medics, and the CAB, or Combat Action Badge for all other military occupational specialties. Cluse, being an intelligence analyst, would only be eligible for the CAB, and only then if she was engaged in direct combat.
My experience tells me this smells like fish.
Read more at: https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article316647092.html#storylink=cpy
Her statements here: https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article316647092.html
Friday, August 7 Report this