Richland Candidate On The Verge Of Making History

There are few firsts in the political world these days, though it seems the 2025 election cycle is giving us a boost in that category.  New York City had a first, as did Virginia by electing their first female Governor.  The Tri-Cities is also on the verge of a first in it's political history.

A Richland City Council Candidate May be Elected Posthumously

Donald Landsman filed to run for Richland City Council Position 4 in May of this year.  In the August primary Donnie, as he was known to many, earned nearly 59% of the vote.  Unfortunately, Donnie passed away On August 31st, just a few weeks after his primary win.

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A person cannot be removed from the ballot once they file for office, unless they remove themselves the Monday following the end of filing week in Washington State.  This isn't the first time a candidate who passed away remained on the ballot.  Former Kennewick Mayor Steve Young passed away during filing week in 2019 and remained on the ballot.  Young finished third in that year's primary and did not advance to the general election.

In the first count from the general election, Donnie has just under 59% of the vote, leading his opponent by just over 1,000 votes with 14% of the vote counted and an estimated 25,000 ballots remaining.

Over 6,500 votes have been cast in that race with nearly 20,000 votes counted County wide.  That's roughly 31% of the votes cast.  If that ratio holds, it is very likely Donnie gets elected posthumously.

While It Would Be  First In The TC, It Has Happened Before In WA

Back in 2014, Roger Freeman who represented the 30th District in the WA State House dies of colon cancer a few weeks before election day.  Freeman won re-election with 53% of the vote that November and retained his seat posthumously.  Then Governor Jay Inslee appointed Freeman's replacement in January of 2015 after the new Legislature was sworn in.

If Donnie Landsman wins his race, the Richland City Council would then select someone to fill Position 4.