County poll results yield few surprises

There were few, if any, surprises in Tuesday’s primary election in Kitsap County government as frontrunners Scott Henden and Charlotte Garrido won their bids to face incumbent county commissioner candidates Chris Endresen and Jan Angel.

It was also no surprise that Judge Anna Laurie was able to earn a plurality, but her earning more than 50 percent of the vote was not a foregone conclusion.

Laurie, the only Kitsap County Superior Court judge not running unopposed, came under fire for a controversial ruling two years ago in which she convicted a Bremerton man of second-degree assault after he had shot and killed a Bremerton police dog and aimed his weapon at the dog’s handler.

In the end, Laurie dispatched her primary opposition by a wide enough margin to avoid a November runoff (earning 54.45 percent of the preliminary total).

Laurie received several key endorsements, including support from Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge (who took severe umbrage against the 2002 ruling).

Hauge said he had “no idea” whether his opinion influenced any primary voters.

While Hauge’s support of Laurie was tacit and last-minute, he has taken a more active role in his support of Garrido’s race against Angel.

“I know Charlotte, I worked with her before during her last term as commissioner,” he said. “She would do a good job. I know her policies and respect her abilities. This is nothing against Commissioner Angel, this is just my preference.”

In Hauge’s eyes, there are differences that have little to do with policy or personality.

“Charlotte is a Democrat,” Hauge said. “Jan is a Republican.”

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