Washington › Thurston County › Thurston County Commissioner, District No. 5
2 candidates are tracked for Thurston County Commissioner, District No. 5 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Nicolas Martinez-Dunning and Emily Clouse. Candidate information follows official Thurston County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Nicolas Martinez-Dunning (Democratic) and Emily Clouse (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot for Thurston County Commissioner, District No. 5, per the Secretary of State's VoteWA general-election candidate list. No August 4 primary contest for this office appears in the county's official results feed (two or fewer filers advance directly). Washington's top-two primary sends the two leading candidates to November regardless of party; party labels are stated preferences.
Martinez-Dunning is a small business owner and a current Lacey City Council member, and a 10-year U.S. Marine Corps and Washington National Guard veteran who deployed to Iraq, per the county's official voters' pamphlet. His business received a 2025 South Sound Business of the Year award, per the same source. Nicolas Martinez-Dunning appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Thurston County Commissioner, District No. 5, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.
2026 priorities
- Bring fiscal responsibility and budget transparency to the commission, per the campaign site
- Unite around practical solutions on homelessness, rising costs and public safety, per the campaign site
- Declines contributions from special-interest groups and political action committees, per the county's voters' pamphlet
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-09-07.
Campaign site →
Clouse is the current Thurston County Commissioner for District 5 and chairs the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative and the county's Solid Waste Advisory Committee, per the county's official voters' pamphlet. She previously worked as a military intelligence analyst and co-founded a nonprofit serving Olympia families, per the same source. Emily Clouse appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Thurston County Commissioner, District No. 5, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.
2026 priorities (per the campaign site)
- Expand affordable housing, citing more than $25 million secured for 186 supportive housing units
- Advance environmental investments including estuary restoration and heat pump upgrade programs
- Keep county budgeting transparent and priority-based
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-09-07.
Campaign site →
