Stuart Holmes for Auditor
Photo credit: LinkedIn


– Editor’s note:
As we have seen with other Republicans who declared themselves an “Independent” to run for county positions, they were life-long Republicans who still held to those principles after taking public office. Mr. Holmes is no different, as he is aligned with and supported by the county’s Republican Party apparatus. This is foretold by their endorsements and major donations to his campaign, as with other “Independent” county officials and our mayor. Yelm Blog readers should take note to be informed, especially that this position was held by Republicans for 71 years until Mary Hall was twice elected. Hall has been lauded for her work towards bills recently signed by Gov. Inslee for greater voter access.

What I find interesting is that local Republicans feel they must run as Independents so they have a better opportunity to get elected. I question the authenticity of those Republicans who became Independent candidates just before they ran for office, and especially Mr. Holmes, where full accountability and transparency is a specific attribute required from the top-down by the Auditor we elect.


– “Stuart Holmes Announces Run for Thurston County Auditor”
“Stuart Holmes, a nationally recognized election administrator for the Washington Secretary of State’s Office, today [March 13, 2018] announced his candidacy for Thurston County Auditor.”

“Holmes currently serves as the Voting Information Systems Manager where he supervises the support, testing, and development of voter registration and election information systems. Previously, he was Election Administrator with the Benton County Auditor’s Office where he gained familiarity with all aspects of a county auditor’s office. There, he won the Secretary of State’s Election Employee of the Year award.”
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Blogger Klein is a long-time contributor to the campaign to Elect Mary Hall for Auditor.