In a major comeback for an incumbent Island County commissioner, only two votes separate the two candidate following the vote count Friday night.

The next count is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. An estimated 10,000 ballots are left to count.

Christina Elliott, a Democrat, was ahead of Commissioner Jill Johnson, a Republican, by 6% of the vote after the first count on election night. Elliott had 10,257 and Johnson had 9,133, which is a difference of 1,124.

Few if any election observers thought she had a chance of winning, even with the tendency of Republicans to mail in ballots later. But with each subsequent count, Johnson gained ground.

After the count Friday, Elliott has 19,452 and Johnson has 19,450. If the trend continues, Johnson could prevail. That current difference is 0.005%.

Similarly, state Sen. Ron Muzzall, an Oak Harbor resident and Republican, was behind Democratic challenger Janet St. Clair on election night, with St. Clair ahead by 0.3%.

After the count Friday, Muzzall leads by about 2% in the Legislative District 2 race.