Benjamin, Sorensen lead Pullman race

With an estimated 300 ballots left to be counted in the Whitman County primary election, Francis Benjamin and Al Sorensen are leading in the race for Pullman City Council Ward 1 seat.

In a primary election, the top two candidates in each race will move on to the general election in November.

Benjamin so far has earned the most votes with 556. He has 37 percent of the total vote while the incumbent, Sorensen, has 26.8 percent.

Eric Fejeran is third with 22.9 percent, and Max Williams is fourth with 13.2 percent.

Benjamin, 59, is an information systems coordinator at Washington State University and also teaches real estate there. He served on the Pullman City Council from 2003-15. He has lived in the area for nearly 40 years.

Sorensen, 59, is seeking a third consecutive term representing Ward 1, which covers Military Hill, Sunnyside Hill and the downtown core. He also served on the council from 2005 to 2007.

Sorensen has lived in the area since 1966 and is the co-owner of Pioneer Insurance of Pullman and Asotin. He is also an adjunct instructor at WSU.

Fejeran, 31, is the executive director of United Way of Whitman County and has lived in the area since 2008.

Williams, 43, is a primary care physician who owns Apple a Day Family Medicine. He has lived in the area since 2011.

Robert Brooks and Leslie Jo Sena are the top two vote-getters for the Palouse City Council race. They are vying to replace Libby Akin on the council.

Brooks has 41 percent of the vote and Sena has 40.2 percent, with only two votes separating them. They are leading Scott Storch.

Scott Shauf and Scott Hokonson are leading in the Malden Town Council seat 1 election. However, Hokonson is only two votes ahead of the third candidate, Kelly Adams.

John Lenz and Janell Turner both received 11 votes and are the leading candidates for Malden Town Council seat 3. Colleen Cross is third with six votes.

Whitman County has counted a total of 1,803 votes, which is a total voter turnout of 22.8 percent. The turnout percentage will grow slightly when the rest of the ballots are counts.

The next ballot count is scheduled to be reported at 8 tonight.

The Whitman County Canvassing Board will certify the results Aug. 17. The general election will take place Nov. 2.