MOSES LAKE — With tens of thousands of ballots still left to count, Republican Amanda McKinney remains ahead in the race for Washington's 4th Congressional District seat, while Democrat John Duresky says the close contest has demonstrated that Democrats can compete in a district long considered a Republican stronghold. 

As of Nov. 4, McKinney received 82,528 votes, or 54.26% of votes cast, compared to 69,011 votes, or 45.46% for Duresky. Election officials estimate about 46,604 ballots remain to be counted across the district. Results will not be certified until Nov. 24. 

While neither candidate declared victory or conceded the race, both reflected on the campaign, the issues that drove voters to the polls and the supporters who carried them through months of campaigning across one of the state's largest congressional districts. 

McKinney, a Yakima County commissioner, said she was encouraged by the early results and believes voters responded to a campaign centered on Central Washington values and economic concerns. 

“Very, very grateful and humbled by the results, and they are tracking with what our expectations were,” McKinney said. “I'm very confident that the nearly 10-point lead will maintain.” 

McKinney said her campaign focused on presenting a positive vision for the district rather than attacking political opponents. 

“I know our district's values, and I made my campaign representing our Central Washington values and being a positive messenger and really focusing on my record and what I intend to do in this role,” she said. 

If elected, McKinney said one of her first priorities would be establishing working relationships in Congress so she can effectively advocate for communities throughout Central Washington. 

“My priority is to focus on building those relationships among the incoming freshman class specifically, but also among leadership and on both sides,” she said. “I think at the end of the day, what Central Washington expects from their elected representative in Congress is to prioritize Central Washington, and that's exactly what I will do.” 

Drawing on her experience as a county commissioner, McKinney said she believes she is prepared to work with lawmakers who may not share her political views. 

“I am very grateful that having served as county commissioner in a Democrat-majority-run state, it has necessarily put me in a position to create coalitions and to find consensus where we can, no matter party affiliation,” she said. 

Throughout the race, McKinney said many voters expressed concerns about rising costs and affordability. 

“Our voters are very astute, and what I continue to hear is, yes, we're worried about driving costs, but our voters are smart enough to know that the majority of the increasing costs that we have, we're talking about energy, cost for housing, cost for care,” she said. “People want to see costs come down.” 

She also pointed to agriculture, manufacturing and energy development as areas she believes offer growth opportunities for the district. 

“I think that it's pretty clear they're looking for someone who understands what drives our economy,” McKinney said. “That is agriculture.” 

McKinney said economic development, support for farmers and expanding access to quality jobs will remain key priorities should she ultimately win the seat. 

She also thanked the volunteers and supporters who spent months helping her campaign. 

“Thank you for not only your trust in supporting me,” McKinney said. “This is my opportunity to say that I have run every campaign I've ever run on a positive message.”

Looking beyond Election Day, McKinney said she hopes residents across the political spectrum will view her success as a success for the district. 

“I would hope that no matter whether or not someone voted for me or not, I would hope they'd be rooting for my success because my success will be our shared success,” she said. 

Duresky, meanwhile, said he remains encouraged by the results despite trailing in the latest count. While acknowledging the challenge that remained ahead, he said the campaign accomplished one of its primary goals by proving the district is competitive. 

“However the final vote comes out, we've demonstrated this is a winnable seat,” Duresky said. “Nobody should be calling this a safe seat anymore.” 

The Democrat said his campaign showed voters are looking for alternatives and that candidates willing to invest time and energy in the district can build meaningful support. 

“We demonstrated that the Democrats will fight for this district, we will fight for the people of this district, and you can build a campaign here to win it,” he said. 

Duresky said that while political conversations often focus on partisan divisions, the concerns he heard from voters were largely practical and centered on everyday challenges facing families. 

“It comes down to affordability, healthcare and immigration,” he said. “Affordability, if we don't fix that, none of that will matter to people who can't make ends meet, who can't afford their health insurance.” 

He also pointed to concerns about government accountability and public trust as recurring topics during conversations with voters across the district. 

“Corruption is so overwhelming,” Duresky said. “So many of us are just dismayed.” 

With thousands of ballots yet to be counted, Duresky said his campaign is taking a measured approach while election officials continue tabulating votes. 

“We're just on a wait-and-see mode thing,” he said. 

More than anything, Duresky said he wanted to express appreciation to the volunteers, campaign workers and voters who supported his candidacy. 

“The only other message is, of course, gratitude,” he said. “We are so grateful for all of the support that we received, and it really has been a privilege to do this.” 

Duresky said supporters helped prove that Democratic candidates can build viable campaigns in Central Washington and engage voters who may have previously felt overlooked. 

Looking back on the campaign, he said he would not change much about how it was run. 

“The one thing that I said to my supporters at our party last night, and people asked me all day yesterday, for like the last week, how are you feeling?” Duresky said. “My answer was, I'm feeling great because we did everything we could do. We just could not have done more to go win this seat. However the results come now, it wasn't for lack of trying.” 

Both candidates also reflected on what they learned while traveling across the sprawling district, which stretches across much of Central Washington. 

For McKinney, the campaign reinforced her belief that residents care deeply about their communities regardless of political affiliation. 

“At the end of the day, whether or not people agree on who to vote for politically, there is so much love, truly, for their community and their neighbors,” she said. 

McKinney said she hopes to model that same spirit if elected to Congress. 

“We can disagree with people and not be disagreeable with each other,” she said. 

Duresky echoed similar sentiments, saying one of the campaign's biggest rewards was meeting residents and learning about communities throughout the district. 

“Everywhere I went, has found these wonderful communities that are built up and taking care of their own and working to make their communities a better place," he said. "As an Air Force brat, you don't necessarily see this clearly because you are kind of in and out of communities very quickly. I really got deep into these communities and saw the love around the district. It's been an absolute joy."  

Although the race remains uncertified and thousands of ballots remain uncounted, both candidates said they are thankful for the support they received and confident their campaigns helped elevate issues important to Central Washington voters. 

Additional vote counts are expected in the coming days before county canvassing boards certify election results Nov. 24. As of Nov. 4, McKinney holds a lead of more than 13,500 votes with approximately 46,600 ballots remaining to be counted throughout the district.