County, Longview
McEntire leads Carlson in 19th District rematch, unofficial count shows
Early returns put the Cathlamet Republican about 8 points ahead of the Longview Democrat, down from a 24-point win in 2024, as Republicans lost ground nationwide.
Share of the vote, 19th District House Position 2
Line chart of vote shares in three contests. McEntire: 62.2% in the 2024 general, 41.6% in the 2026 primary, 54.0% on 2026 election night. Carlson: 37.7%, 43.2% and 45.8%.
Chart data
| McEntire | Carlson | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 general | 62.2% | 37.7% |
| 2026 primary | 41.6% | 43.2% |
| 2026 election night | 54.0% | 45.8% |
Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, holds an early lead over Democrat Terry Carlson in their 19th District rematch, a far closer race than their 2024 contest in a year when Republicans lost ground nationwide.
In unofficial election-night results, McEntire had 27,409 votes, or 53.95%, to Carlson's 23,281, or 45.82%, The Chronicle of Centralia reported. Counting continues across the district's six counties, and results are not final until county canvassing boards certify them Nov. 24.
The winner will hold one of the 19th Legislative District's two state House seats for a two-year term starting in January. The district runs from Longview west to the coast and north to Aberdeen.
McEntire declared victory on Facebook about an hour after the first results posted, writing that voters "have chosen me to return to Olympia to represent them once again," according to The Chronicle. Carlson thanked supporters Wednesday night but said he would wait for all ballots to be counted before commenting on the outcome, KLOG reported.
A closer rematch
The two men met in 2024, when McEntire won with 49,665 votes, or 62.17%, to Carlson's 30,141, or 37.73%, according to certified results from the Washington Secretary of State. That was a margin of more than 24 percentage points. This year's early margin is about 8 points.
Carlson put the race on notice in August, finishing first in the four-way top-two primary with 18,354 votes, or 43.23%. McEntire was second with 17,670, or 41.62%. Two other Republicans, Jimi O'Hagan and Daniel William Bradley, drew a combined 14.99%.
Together, the three Republicans took 56.61% of the primary vote.
Cowlitz County has been Carlson's strongest ground. He carried it in the primary, 47.61% to McEntire's 41.19%. In the county's first general election report, posted at 7:58 p.m. Tuesday, McEntire led there by 242 votes, 11,566 to 11,324.
Carlson's share of the August primary vote, by county
Bar chart of Carlson's share of the August 2026 primary vote by county: Pacific 48.1%, Cowlitz 47.6%, Grays Harbor 45.0%, Wahkiakum 41.0%, Thurston 35.2%, Lewis 25.9%. Cowlitz is highlighted.
Chart data
| Pacific | 48.1% |
|---|---|
| Cowlitz | 47.6% |
| Grays Harbor | 45.0% |
| Wahkiakum | 41.0% |
| Thurston | 35.2% |
| Lewis | 25.9% |
Carlson also led in Pacific County on election night, 52.1% to 47.7%, the Chinook Observer reported. McEntire carried the Lewis County portion of the district with 69.78% in that county's latest count.
Bucking a national wave
The race played out on a hard night for Republicans. Democrats won control of both the U.S. House and Senate, according to projections by CBS News and NBC News. NBC estimated Democrats would hold about 255 House seats.
Closer to home, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, held the 3rd Congressional District against Republican state Sen. John Braun, who has conceded. Braun still led in Cowlitz County, 51.54% to 47.58%, in the county's first report. (Our story)
In Clark County's 17th and 18th legislative districts, Republican House incumbents trailed Democratic challengers after the first count, The Chronicle reported, citing the Washington State Standard.
Southwest Washington's other Republican lawmakers held on. In the neighboring 20th District, Reps. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, and Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, each led by more than 20 points on election night. McEntire's seatmate, Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, who also chairs the state Republican Party, led Democrat Kevin Moynihan 54.5% to 45.4% districtwide, the Chinook Observer reported.
Despite a difficult fall, McEntire ran nearly even with Walsh. In Cowlitz County's first report, McEntire drew 50.42% and Walsh drew 50.63%. Districtwide, McEntire's election-night share trailed Walsh's by about half a point.
In Cowlitz County government, Republican incumbent Commissioner Richard Dahl led challenger Chelsea Chandler, 53.74% to 46.16%, in the first report. (Our story)
Who is Joel McEntire
McEntire, a Wahkiakum High School graduate who lives in Cathlamet, is a U.S. Marine Corps reservist and former teacher. He won the seat in 2020 by unseating Democratic Rep. Brian Blake and was reelected in 2022 with 61.42% of the vote over Democrat Cara Cusack.
In 2024, when he reported for military duty near the end of the legislative session, his stepdaughter, Lilian Hale, temporarily filled the seat, The Chronicle reported.
In a written questionnaire from The Daily World of Aberdeen, McEntire said his top priority is fixing state school construction and repair programs, which he said treat poorer areas differently than wealthier ones. He also listed permitting reform for industrial projects. His long-term goal, he wrote, is a community that is "a place that our children choose to stay in."
Who is Terry Carlson
Carlson, 47, grew up in Granite Falls and logged for decades before moving to Longview about nine years ago to run a log processor for Weyerhaeuser, the NW Labor Press reported. He is president of the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Central Labor Council, an umbrella group for local unions. He earned an associate degree from Lower Columbia College in 2021 and a bachelor's degree from Washington State University in 2023, according to Ballotpedia.
In a questionnaire from The Chronicle, Carlson said his priorities are lowering costs for working families, infrastructure, child care and rural health care. He also called for right-to-repair rules for farmers and fishermen and more state investment in the district. His long-term vision, he wrote, is "for working families to have some relief."
Labor groups backing him include the Washington State Labor Council and the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, according to the NW Labor Press.
A rough fall for the incumbent
McEntire's campaign ran through three rulings tied to posts on his personal Facebook page.
Ethics fine. On Sept. 2, the Legislative Ethics Board found McEntire used his official position when a post created the impression that, as a legislator, he had access to confidential information about a constituent's use of social welfare programs. The board fined him $500, with $250 suspended if he has no further violations through the 2028 election cycle. It was the first of 23 complaints against him that the board found valid, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported. The board had dismissed most earlier complaints because it lacks authority over legislators' personal social media.
Protection order. On Sept. 14, Cowlitz County District Court Judge David A. Nelson granted a one-year anti-harassment protection order against McEntire. It bars him from contacting a Longview constituent and requires him to delete posts about her. Nelson found that two posts, one suggesting her contact information could be leaked and one suggesting her vehicle be vandalized, were "not simply speech: it is a call to action, it is a threat," the Seattle Times reported.
In court filings, McEntire denied harassing the woman and argued his posts were protected speech. He told the Seattle Times he planned to appeal.
Campaign finance fine. On Oct. 28, Public Disclosure Commission Chair J. Robert Leach fined McEntire $500, with $250 suspended, for using $3,000 in campaign money to pay legal fees in the protection-order case. PDC staff had recommended a fine of up to $2,000. Leach found the fees were not a campaign expense because anyone who made the same posts could have faced the same case, The Chronicle reported.
McEntire has repaid the $3,000 to his campaign. He told The Chronicle he had been advised the payment was a proper campaign expense and called it a "gray area." His attorney argued McEntire acted in good faith on his treasurer's advice and that the payment was "not really an expense which enriched Mr. McEntire," The Chronicle reported.
Carlson seized on the ruling. In a news release, he said donors trust that their contributions will be used honestly and legally. "Joel McEntire broke that trust," Carlson said, according to the Chinook Observer.
What happens next
- Counties will keep releasing updated counts in the coming days. Results are posted at results.vote.wa.gov and on the Cowlitz County Elections website.
- County canvassing boards certify results Nov. 24. The Secretary of State must certify statewide results by Dec. 3.
- The winner takes office when the Legislature convenes in January.
- Residents can leave a message for their legislators on any issue through the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000.