Who supports which Benton County prosecutor candidate?

Kennewick, WA

The list of familiar names lined up behind both Benton County prosecutor candidates is deep.

Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger is running for re-election against longtime Deputy Prosecutor Julie Long. The fight on social media has become heated, with accusations flying from both sides.

Eisinger, who became the prosecutor after being outside the office, has positioned himself as someone who has worked to make the office more efficient. He said the biggest problem facing the office is state-funding.

Long, spent decades working under former Prosecutor Andy Miller, has said there has been steady erosion of trust between law enforcement, crime victims and the prosecutor’s office.

Prominent victims of crimes such as Kris Mars, have thrown their support behind Long. Many of them felt betrayed by Eisinger, who they have said gave up on their case or treated them with indifference.

They have been joined by several prominent former law enforcement officers and the Tri-Cities Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. The lodge represents more than 800 police officers across both Franklin and Benton counties.

Eisinger has his own who’s who of prominent Tri-Citians including Apollo Mechanical CEO and Founder Bruce Ratchford, every mayor in the Tri-Cities and Bill Lampson of Lampson International.

Those supporters have pointed to Eisinger’s commitment to keeping the community safe and his integrity, honesty and dedication.

While most of the prominent former law enforcement officers have lined up behind Long, Benton County Sheriff Mike Clark and Benton County Coroner Bill Leach support Eisinger.

The disparity became apparent early in the campaign, and didn’t appear to hurt Eisinger in the primary. He held a commanding lead over Long with 54% of the vote to her 45%. The remaining 1% wrote in a candidate.

What are the candidates saying?

Long said her support is coming from people most familiar with the criminal justice system, such as police, the Benton County Courthouse Employee Union, victims and their advocates and retired judges.

“In contrast to government officials, who are elected and have political ties, law enforcement and victims have worked with both candidates,” she said. “They know who has the skill, work ethic, and commitment to best do the job.”

Eisinger dismissed the idea that most law enforcement and victims are supporting Long, saying that her supporters are loud but aren’t representative of a pattern.

“I have a very positive working relationship with law enforcement,” he said in a response to a Tri-City Herald question. “My opponent’s career has focused on line-level prosecution. She has worked on individual cases with law enforcement, but the work of the elected Prosecuting Attorney is fundamentally different.”

He argued that leading an organization requires a willingness to challenge norms and push for improvement. He said his endorsements from the sheriff, a majority of the county commissioners and every mayor in the Tri-Cities and Benton County shows how much the community supports that goal.

Law enforcement and leaders split

Currently employed police officers are not allowed to comment on political races, but retired officers can.

The police officers who have supported Long point to her long career as a criminal prosecutor and her dedication to the job.

“Julie combines the experience of a career prosecutor with sound judgment and a commitment to supporting crime victims and holding offenders accountable,” former Kennewick Commander Aaron Clem said in an endorsement printed on Long’s page. “She has also established strong working relationships with law enforcement built on cooperations, mutual respect and trust.”

Eisinger has gotten the support of most of the political leaders in the region. They point to his leadership in the office. For example, Coroner Bill Leach, who was a West Richland police officer, said in his endorsement he has seen the prosecutor’s integrity, honest and dedication first-hand.

Why victims support Long

“What sets Eric apart is not only his experience and sound judgment but also his willingness to look ahead and find thoughtful, effective solutions to the challenges facing our community. He understands that justice is best served through integrity, accountability and respect for the law,” Leach said.

But the most powerful testimonials come from crime victims. Kris Mars, said she felt ignored by the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office when her husband’s killers petitioned for early release.

“He (Eisinger) was indifferent to early release motions,” she wrote. “I decided I needed my own attorney to argue against the release. Then, Eisinger hindered our work to get information to oppose the early release. We won despite that.”

Eisinger disputes that he didn’t care about the casesaying that he assigned it to his best prosecutor and met with Kris Mars personally. He also said he provided the documents as they were requested.

“I firmly believe that the most important person in a criminal case is the victim. That’s my philosophy in this case. That’s my philosophy in every case. And that’s what happened here,” he said in a Facebook post.

Another high profile case was the Richland Fred Meyer shooting. The family of Justin Krumbah, who was killed in February 2022 by Aaron Kelly, has said that Eisinger chose to stop fighting at one point. He declined to allow former Prosecutor Andy Miller to continue prosecuting the case.

Miller and the Krumbahs have argued that they could have continued to challenge the finding that Kelly was insane.

“(The) current prosecutor agreed to an insanity plea, even though the Richland police investigation showed that the defendant knew what he was doing,” the Krumbahs said in an endorsement on Long’s page. “We deserve a prosecutor who will restore trust, demand accountability and make public safety the highest priority.”

Eisinger has responded to the criticism by saying that he tried to do everything in his power to secure a conviction, but three experts, including the one from the state, all said Kelly was not sane at time of the shooting.