Spokane County District Court Judge, Position 7
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Aimee Maurer | 61,947 | 58.91% |
| Randy A. Brandt | 43,207 | 41.09% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About The Race
The race between incumbent Judge Randy Brandt and challenger Aimee Mauer is one between experience or change. Brandt stresses his experience in law and as a judge. A political ad mailed from his campaign quotes County Prosecutor Steve Tucker saying the county is a “better place to live” with Brandt on the bench. But Mauer argues that District Court has been stagnant and notes that Brandt is the court’s presiding judge. She points to the “Blueprint for Reform” from the Spokane Regional Criminal Justice Commission, which suggested that the court was unwilling to make changes to bring efficiency to the justice system.
The Candidates
Aimee Maurer
- Age:
- 49
- City:
- Spokane, WA
- Occupation:
- Attorney
Education: Earned high school degree through home schooling. Earned associate’s degree at Spokane Falls Community College. Earned bachelor’s in general studies at Gonzaga in 2003. Earned law degree from Gonzaga University in 2006. Work experience: worked as a Spokane County deputy prosecutor from 2007 to 2009; practiced law in local law firms for a few years until she and her husband opened their own firm this year, representing mostly injury plaintiffs. Political experience: This is her first run for office. Board member of First Night Spokane. President of Washington Women Lawyers Spokane chapter. Family: Divorced and remarried. Has three children.
Randy A. Brandt
- Age:
- 72
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Political experience: Appointed judge of Spokane County District Court in 2011. Elected to the position without opposition in 2012. Served until 2014, when he lost election bid to retain the position.
Work experience: Opened his own private practice in 1993 and began serving as a pro-tem judge on the Spokane County District Court. In 2003, became a district court commissioner, and from 2010 to 2011, an administrative law judge. Served as district court judge from 2011 to 2014 after appointed to bench by the Spokane County Commission. Operated his own law office from 1988 until appointed a court commissioner. Worked as a real estate broker in the 1970s and 1980s. Worked as funeral director at Ball & Dodd for about two years in the 1970s.
Education: Graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1969. Graduated Gonzaga University in 1974 and then Gonzaga School of Law in 1988.
Family: Unmarried, no children.
Complete Coverage
Newhouse wins seat in 4th District
After the fourth day of ballot counting on Friday, it became certain that Republican Dan Newhouse would be Washington’s newest congressman. Newhouse beat fellow GOP candidate Clint Didier in Washington’s 4th Congressional District in a race that marked the first time in state history that two members of the same party appeared on the fall ballot for a U.S. House seat.
Maurer expands lead over Brandt for county judge
Attorney Aimee Maurer almost certainly will be Spokane County’s newest judge.
Washington lower-class-size initiative, I-1351, tips to Yes
Yes votes for the initiative to lower class sizes took the lead for the first time Thursday evening. Initiative 1351, which would require smaller class sizes and more teachers, was trailing statewide by about 12,000 votes on election night and has advanced since then. Election results posted on the Washington secretary of state’s website Thursday evening showed the measure ahead by 4,660 votes.
Incumbent Judge Randy Brandt looks likely to lose race
A District Court judge is on the verge of being the first Spokane County judge rejected for re-election in nearly 25 years. After Wednesday’s counting of ballots, Judge Randy Brandt trailed his opponent, attorney Aimee Maurer, by 1,833 votes, up from 1,704 votes after the first count on Tuesday.
Brandt, Maurer stress experience in district judge race
The most expensive race for judge in Washington this year pits incumbent Spokane County District Court Judge Randy Brandt against local attorney Aimee Maurer. Although incumbent judges usually fare well in re-election bids, Maurer has gathered a large following from diverse political persuasions. She also has built her campaign around the Blueprint for Reform, a report released earlier this year from the Spokane Regional Criminal Justice Commission that suggested the District Court was slow to change.