Mike Chapman is headed back to Olympia for a second term as a representative for Washington’s 24th Legislative District, as he leads Republican challenger Jodi Wilke in the general election with 58.85 percent of the votes.

Chapman’s margin in the initial vote counting was 9,250 votes, outpolling Wilke, a nurse from Port Townsend, 30,745 to 21,495.

During his campaign, Chapman, a Democrat who lives in Port Angeles, emphasized his work to improve the economy in rural Washington. He also touted his bi-partisan track record, saying he has sponsored 15 bi-partisan bills so far, and that eight of them have become law.

One difference between Chapman and Wilke was that Chapman supports Initiative 1639, which raises the age requirement for people to buy certain firearms, and adds other gun control measures. Wilke complained about this topic, saying that Chapman wouldn’t divulge if he supported the initiative early-on in the campaign.

In Grays Harbor County, voters narrowly voted in favor of Wilke, with the challenger receiving 50.68 percent of the vote. Clallam and Jefferson counties were more one-sided, with 55.15 and 69.95 percent of the votes for Chapman, respectively.

In a phone interview, Chapman said he was “very honored, very humble for the support to have a second term, and to continue the great work.”

“I’m going to continue work on our local economy, and focus on our infrastructure projects,” he said.

Wilke said she was glad that the people of Grays Harbor County appeared to vote narrowly in favor of her so far.

“I am really proud and thankful for the good people of Grays Harbor County,” said Wilke.