Pierce County voters will choose their next county executive in this fall's general election from either a County Council member or a state senator. Councilman Rick Talbert and Sen. Bruce Dammeier emerged from the primary election that ended Aug. 2. Talbert, a Democrat, topped a four-candidate primary race with 46 percent of the votes. Dammeier, a Republican, was runnerup with 30 percent. In the general election in November, one of them will win the office that Pat McCarthy is giving up because of term limits. The county charter allows two four-year terms for the executive. McCarthy, a Democrat, is nearing the end of her second term and is running for state auditor. County Councilman Dan Roach and Larry Faulk, both Republicans, finished third and fourth, respectively, in the primary voting. Talbert was the only candidate from the Democratic Party. Talbert was first elected to the County Council in 2010. He was re-elected in 2014 and can remain on the council if he doesn't win the executive race, as he has two years left in his second term. He lives in Tacoma, where he once was a City Council member. Dammeier, who lives in Puyallup, has been a state senator for the 25th Legislative District for seven years. He's up for re-election this fall, but has chosen to run instead for executive. Before his time in the Legislature, Dammeier was a Puyallup School Board member. In two other countywide primary races, Grant Blinn and Karena Kirkendall were the leaders for Superior Court judge. In unofficial results, Blinn's opponent in November will be Dwayne Christopher, while Kirkendoll will be opposed by Tom Quinlan. They were the top two finishers in three-way contests, the only ones for judge that were contested in the primary.
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