One of the most interesting of Washington legislative races remains so, after the primary results and concession - by an incumbent - are in.
That is in Clark County's 17th District, a close-margin district where the state senator is a Republican and the other representative a Democrat. Representative Jim Dunn, who has been a legislator from the area for a long time (since 1996 save for a term out from 2002-04), ran into trouble last and this year over what were called "boorish" statements to women, serious enough that his party's leaders took away his committee assignments.
In the top-two primary election, Dunn faced fellow Republican Joseph James and Democrat Tim Probst. Voters in the district, notably the Republican voters, must have taken the leaders' hint about Dunn, giving him just 18.5% of the vote - a real crush for an incumbent. James got 33.2% and Probst 48.2%; considering that the Republican vote generally should consolidate around James in the fall, this provides an early suggestion of a tight general election.
This is another case, though, where the top-two approach to Washington primaries wound up making no difference. In a Republican primary, James clearly would have defeated Dunn - the margins are too wide to allow for any othr interpretation - and James and Probst would have faced off just the same.
One of the top Washington races to watch a couple of months from now.