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Tri-Cities area Nov. 7, 2023 Election Results

Here are the latest election results for the Nov. 7, 2023 General Election in Benton and Franklin Counties.

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Kennewick, WA

A conservative political action committee in Tri-Cities, Wash., is denying allegations they made false statements against a Kennewick School Board candidate.

The response comes after a campaign aid for Michael Connors, a local Republican seeking reelection to the school board, filed a complaint last month with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission (PDC).

The complaint alleges the We Want Accountability PAC broke state law when they erected campaign signs next to his, with false messages like: “Voted With Liberals 100%,” “Kept Our Kids In Masks” and “Supports CRT (critical race theory) in Schools.”

The PAC is hoping to get Connors’ conservative challenger, Dustin Petersen, elected instead.

In a response filed this week with the PDC, We Want Accountability organizers presented an “alternative view of the facts” from Connors’ that support the accuracy of their signs.

“The PDC will need to do an independent evaluation of the evidence provided,” wrote Jerry Martin, We Want Accountability’s secretary.

An investigation would test the veracity of claims on both sides of the issue. It’s a violation of Washington state law to “sponsor with actual malice a statement constituting libel or defamation” in political advertising.

Natalie Johnson, a communications specialist for the PDC, told the...

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