Democrat tops primary for Spokane County auditor with Cathcart and Whitaker in tighter bid for second

Spokane Young Democrats Cochair Democrat Callie Gee easily won the primary for Spokane County auditor.

Her opponent in the November election, however, was unclear on Tuesday.

Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart, a Republican, had the edge with 28.5% of the vote. Republican Accountant Dale Whitaker, previous executive of the We Believe, We Vote voting guide, was in third place with 25.7%

“There’s still a ways to go before any victory is declared, but we are in a great position as of right now,” Cathcart said.

Gee, who won 45.6% of the vote, and the prevailing Republican candidate will vie to replace current Auditor Vicky Dalton, who’s retiring at the end of the year. Dalton has been the sole Democrat elected countywide since Democratic County Commissioner Bonnie Mager lost re-election in 2010.

The Spokane County Auditor’s Office is responsible for managing local elections and county financial services, administering motor vehicle licensing and recording legal documents, like property deeds and marriage certificates.

Gee, 24, was the only Democrat in the race. Gee is a recently graduated accountant employed at tax-preparation company Baker Tilly. This is her first bid for public office, but she said she feels “uniquely qualified” to serve in the Auditor’s Office from her accounting and financial experience.

Gee said there should be more young people in office. As auditor, she wants to bring the community into the process of keeping ballots secure and expand election observer trainings.

“It’s very important that we have someone in this office that will protect our election security, especially with pressures coming in from the Trump administration,” Gee said.

Gee was endorsed by Spokane County Commissioner Amber Waldref, state Sen. Marcus Riccelli and Spokane City Councilman Paul Dillon.

The race is divisive for Spokane County Republicans.

Republican Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart, the former executive director of pro-business group Better Spokane, was endorsed by Republicans Sheriff John Nowels and Congressman Michael Baumgartner and Democrats Vicky Dalton and City Council President Betsy Wilkerson.

The Democratic support for his candidacy brought controversy and criticism from supporters of Whitaker, including an AI-generated depiction of Cathcart as the Joker next to loose renderings of Wilkerson and Dalton. Cathcart said in July that the bipartisan support for his campaign was a testament to the work he had done in city council and his positive reputation.

Whitaker snagged the endorsements of Spokane Republicans, like Spokane County GOP Chairman Rob Linebarger, Spokane Valley City Councilman Al Merkel, state Rep. Rob Chase and Spokane County Treasurer Mike Volz.

Neither Cathcart nor Whitaker received an official endorsement from the Republican Party.

Whitaker pleaded guilty in 2015 to and was convicted of fourth-degree assault of his then-girlfriend, now-wife, The Spokesman-Review previously reported.

The conviction was vacated two years later after he satisfied his plea agreement, but Whitaker accused Cathcart of pushing out information regarding the incident to help his own campaign.

Gee said her team will wait and see what happens with the two prospective candidates: “We have a plan either way.”