Take a minute to [un]wind with our Sunday morning newsletter. Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on what you may have missed from [un]Divided this week – plus, all the anti-fringe news that’s fit to print.

A battle in the 3rd:

Late ballots have swung heavy in the direction of Joe Kent – the Trump-endorsed candidate trying to unseat Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. Should she lose, that would mean two out of three Republicans who voted to impeach the former president will have lost their seats so far – with more primary contests ahead.

Right now, Kent trails Herrera Beutler by just 257 votes, with around 30,000 ballots left to be counted in Clark County. The winner will move on to face Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

Should Kent advance, he will face an uphill battle to secure the seat. Washington’s 3rd is a purple district that Democrats have felt for years they can capture. It’s unclear how a candidate as far right as Kent will be received as a general election contender. Should Republicans lose the 3rd and a seat in Congress, that would leave only two GOP Congressional seats in Washington state (The 4th and 5th). The whole ordeal highlights the deep divide in the Republican Party and the consequences of failing to present a united front.

Washington State Republican Party Chair Caleb Heimlich addressed the issue on Friday’s episode (5:50 mark).

Beating the two-party system:

Washington may be on its way to electing a nonpartisan to statewide office. Thanks to the failure of Republicans to coalesce around a single candidate, Julie Anderson squeezed through the primary election to face Democrat Steve Hobbs in November.

Anderson joined [un]Divided on Friday (23:20 mark) to talk about the unique set of circumstances that allowed for her to advance and discussed what she expects her opponent to target her on in the months ahead.

Anderson’s candidacy will be a test of default voting – forcing Democrats to decide whether to support one of their own, or a far more qualified candidate. Keep an eye out for an op-ed on this topic from yours truly.

Voter turnout has improved – ever so slightly:

I ranted a lot this week about the horror of 25% voter turnout in a critical primary election. Thankfully, last-minute voting has raised that to a more respectable (but nowhere near acceptable) 37%. Compare that to 41% in the 2018 primary and I guess things aren’t so bad.

Inslee lets up on vaccine mandate:

In a quiet Friday press release, Governor Jay Inslee announced that he’s had a change of heart when it comes to mandating COVID boosters as a condition of employment in perpetuity. Combine that with his sudden shift on public safety and it really makes you wonder what’s going on in that bespectacled head of his.

“The updated directive reflects feedback and recommendations from state employees and labor partners to pursue options for offering incentives for COVID-19 boosters instead of making them a requirement,” Inslee’s office wrote in a press release.

“The current requirement that new and current employees be fully vaccinated – meaning the individual has received all doses of the primary series – will remain in place.”

Much more on this Monday on [un]Divided – you already know I have some thoughts.