As preliminary results from the Thurston County general election begin to arrive, JJ Olson leads opponent Lynda Nashed Zeman by over 15 percent in the race to become Thurston County Assessor.
Initial results show Olson has received 55.10 percent of votes, while his opponent, Nashed Zeman, has received 42.05 percent of total votes.
Both candidates for Thurston County Assessor ran as Democrats.
In total, Olson has received 40,570 total votes from his constituents in Thurston County, while Nashed Zeman has tallied a total of 30,960 votes countywide.
These results are preliminary and will be updated in the coming days and weeks ahead before the election is certified.
Shortly after results from the election began to arrive on Tuesday, Nov. 3, Olson described all of the emotions he’s feeling to the Nisqually Valley News in a phone call. He described the evening as both “crazy” and “exciting.”
“It’s like running a marathon and crossing the finish line. I’ve been working for a year to get this done,” Olson said. “I’m so excited that it’s finished. I’m excited that experience matters. The management team in the office is excited. I’m just super thankful for my wife and my family, the support from inside the office and the support from outside of the office.”
Additionally, Olson said he believes a key aspect of his campaign stuck out to voters in Thurston County. He claimed the support from voters inside of the office and the union that represents the voters inside of the office have been supportive from day one to help his campaign.
“I want to thank my family,” Olson said. “I also want to thank Lynda. She’s been a great opponent. She’s been very friendly. This has been a good, clean and cordial race between us. It’s the craziest job interview, in my perspective. We work this year-long campaign to try to earn the job through the voters, and I think she has done a wonderful job to try to be the assessor. I think voters have seen my experience and have chosen that over what she has brought to the table, which is her perspective.”
Nashed Zeman told the Nisqually Valley News on election night that she’s grateful and proud of her campaign team.
“I’m grateful for the people who have supported us along the way. It’s been really incredible. We’ve had very meaningful conversations and built wonderful relationships, and brought attention to the issues that matter in the community — especially with the future of the assessment field.”
She added that her campaign is still watching the results from the general election very closely, and noted there are “still plenty of votes to be counted.”
“I truly believe deeply in this community and its future,” Nashed Zeman said. “Regardless of the role or the title that I have, I will always be committed to it and be part of it. I’m just grateful for every person who opened a door, shared their story and put their trust in me.”
