Rahr is far in front; rivals virtually tied

Despite a contentious race, and her failure to get the endorsement of the rank-and-file union, King County Sheriff Sue Rahr had a runaway lead in the primary election last night.

But it was too early to say who will face Rahr in the general election in November. Seattle Police Department Lt. Greg Schmidt and King County sheriff's Sgt. Jim Fuda were virtually tied for second place, with Schmidt holding a scant lead.

"This is my first political race," Rahr said last night. "I've been working as hard as I can ... and now the hard work is beginning to pay off."

Last night, Schmidt said he was confident of advancing to the general election. "We have every intention of finishing this fight we started," he said.

Fuda said he was "hoping for good news" from uncounted absentee ballots.

Past controversies dogged the campaigns of all three candidates.

Rahr, 48, a 26-year veteran, was chosen by Dave Reichert to take over when he was elected to Congress last year. But she inherited some of Reichert's controversial decisions. Those included firing and pressing criminal charges against two detectives for allegedly roughing up an informer. Charges were eventually dropped and both were rehired last year, but Rahr, along with Reichert, is named in the detectives' civil suit.

Rahr also was criticized for settling with a former vice-squad detective, Dan Ring, who retired rather than face charges on allegations of purchasing illegal drugs, stealing money from an elderly man and helping escort services avoid police investigations. Rahr said she made the decision because she feared the Sheriff's Office would have to rehire Ring if he were acquitted at a trial.

While the officers on the street — including Fuda — criticized those decisions, it hasn't kept Rahr from getting several key endorsements, including from Gov. Christine Gregoire, former state Sen. Dino Rossi, Attorney General Rob McKenna, city mayors and other county sheriffs around the state.

Although Schmidt, 42, was acquitted of a 1998 domestic-violence assault charge against his then-wife, he hasn't been able to free himself from the issue in the campaign.

After his acquittal in Renton District Court, he sued his wife, the King County prosecutor's office and the Sheriff's Office. Schmidt's suit in U.S. District Court was dismissed, and he dropped a claim he filed against the Seattle Police Department alleging that he was passed over for a promotion despite his acquittal.

Schmidt, a 19-year Seattle police veteran, has formed a group called Families First of Washington, which helps men facing domestic-violence charges.

Should he win the election, Schmidt said, he would make the Sheriff's Office more accountable to the public. He cited the recent scandals involving deputies as examples of why the department is out of control.

Fuda, 52, said he wants to streamline the county's specialty police services, such as bomb squads, that are duplicated by cities. A 32-year Sheriff's Office veteran, he won the coveted endorsement from the King County Police Guild. But he also faced questions about a degree from an online "university," described as a diploma mill, that he submitted to the department to get a 2 percent raise.

It also came to light that in 1979 Fuda was demoted to rookie salary for covering up for a fellow police officer who was being investigated in the disappearance of $300 in drug-buy money. Fuda was never a suspect in the money's disappearance. He has gone on to become a national expert in hostage negotiations.