[UPDATED] ELECTION 2012: Derek Kilmer Likely to Face Bill Driscoll in November

State Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, will likely face Republican Bill Driscoll in November for the 6th Congressional District race, according to the results released by the Pierce County Auditor's Office so far.

The 6th District represents six counties: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason and Pierce.

The race features Democrat Derek Kilmer from Gig Harbor, Republicans Jesse Young, Bill Driscoll, David (Ike) Eichner, Stephan Andrew Brodhead and Doug Cloud. Eric G. Arentz Jr. is representing the Independent Party.

The state's Top Two primary means any candidate, regardless of their preferred party, can run for the general election in November.

Kilmer, who is also the Vice President for the Economic Development Board (EDB) for Tacoma-Pierce County, said he wants to be an advocate for local businesses. 

"We need someone who understands what middle-class families are going through and will fight for more jobs. Tonight's results are a strong show of support for that," he wrote in a statement on Tuesday. 

“People want leaders who understand the struggles of middle-class families. They want someone who will fight every day to get people back to work, and who will cut through the partisan gridlock and get Congress back to work, too. I'm going to keep fighting for change in Congress," Kilmer said.

Election results are not final or official until certified. Aug. 21, 2012 is the last day for the Office of the Secretary of State to certify the returns.

Here are the results as of Aug. 9 at 7:12 p.m. Pierce County will release the next batch of results at 4 p.m. Friday.

Vote Total

Total Votes 

U.S. Senate

At 7:12 p.m. Thursday, Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, had gathered 55.4 percent of the vote. Her challenger likely will be Republican state Sen. Michael Baumgartner who had pulled in 30.5 percent of the ballots counted.