A 25-year-old farmer, Jacob (Jake) Anderson of White Salmon in the Columbia Gorge, is the frontrunner for a state House vacancy created when Republican Representative Dan Newhouse joined the Democratic Gregoire Administration as state ag director.

Anderson, the youngest of a long list of applicants, was tapped by Republican precinct committee officers over the weekend as their top pick, the Yakima Herald-Republic reports. David Taylor of Moxee and Don Vlieger of Sunnyside got the other two spots on a list that will be forwarded to county commissioners from Yakima, Klickitat, Skamania and Clark. The Yakima Herald-Republican reported that the commissioners will make their pick sometime next month — leaving the new lawmaker little time to serve before the regular session ends on April 26. 

Usual protocol is to follow the PCOs’ wishes. The appointee will have to face the voters later this year. Candidates will file in June and if more than two file, a Top 2 Primary in August will determine the two finalists. If only one or two people file, the election will skip directly to the November 3 General Election. The state Hiouse now has 62 Democrats and 36 Republicans. The 15th District is considered solidly Republican.