COEUR d’ALENE — Republican incumbent Leslie Duncan was well ahead of Democratic candidate Ruben Miranda late Tuesday in the county’s only contested commissioner race, based on very early voting results.

Duncan had captured 75% of the early vote by press time at 10:30 p.m. — about 3,900 votes — while Miranda had garnered around 1,200 votes.

Kootenai County has over 103,000 registered voters.

“I’ll look forward to the final count,” Duncan said Tuesday night.

Whatever the final outcome, Miranda said he’s confident that Kootenai County’s elections are fair and secure.

He noted that people don’t have to be elected officials to make a difference in their communities.

“Just because an election is over doesn’t mean you quit fighting for what’s best for Kootenai County,” Miranda said. “Either way, Democrats are going to keep fighting.”

Duncan, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary election, was first elected to the board in 2018. She was voted chairman beginning Oct. 1, 2022.

County Clerk Jim Brannon told The Press Monday that he hoped to have final results by 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Additional results will be reported on cdapress.com Wednesday and in Thursday's print edition.