Coreen Schnepf is in the lead in Tuesday’s general election for Pierce County prosecutor, early results show. The chief criminal deputy in the Prosecutor’s Office has so far captured 11.5 percent more votes than her opponent, Bryan Chushcoff.
The race is a matchup between Schnepf, a career prosecutor, and Chushcoff, who had a long career as a judge but has never worked as a prosecutor. Schnepf has the support of outgoing Prosecutor Mary Robnett and a range of business, labor and political groups. Chushcoff has secured endorsements from law enforcement unions and the Pierce County Republican Party.
More ballots still need to be tallied, but Schnepf has so far captured 55.53 percent of votes. Chushcoff has captured 44.02 percent.
“I’m excited about the outcome of the election and honored to earn the trust of the voters,” Schenpf told The News Tribune. “It’s looking very promising right now, and I’m really looking forward to working with our professional staff and partnering agencies to ensure the office stays focused on prosecuting crimes and refocusing efforts on quality-of-life crime and ensuring our office continues to be a forward-leaning office.”
Chushcoff watched Tuesday night’s election results come in from home. In a phone call, he said he thought his team ran a good, ethical and competent campaign.
“If the voters choose Ms. Schnepf, I would certainly wish her all the best and all the best for Pierce County,” Chushcoff said.
Chushcoff said he ran because he thought the management of the Prosecutor’s Office was not doing well. He said he thought he had a unique ability to diagnose the problems and solve them. He said he offered himself as a candidate, and he would be watching the results to see if he was successful. Pierce County expects to regularly release updated numbers as they count more ballots until certifying the election on Nov. 24
Campaign donations for Schnepf, 45, and Chushcoff, 74 have primarily come from individuals or out of the candidates’ own pockets. Schnepf has raised $115,063.60, according to the Public Disclosure Commission, more than any other candidate running for a Pierce County office. Chushcoff has brought in $53,566.32.
Schnepf has largely run on her experience prosecuting tough criminal cases, a commitment to advocating for victims of crime and an interest in making ample use of technology to effectively handle the large volume of cases referred to the Prosecutor’s Office. She has also pointed to her work leading 180 attorneys and staff in her role as chief criminal deputy as evidence she’s up to the task of overseeing the office.
She was one of two deputy prosecutors who in 2023 secured a mandatory life sentence for a man who stalked and murdered his ex-girlfriend in Lakewood in a case featured this year on CBS News’ 48 Hours.
Chushcoff, who worked as a general law practitioner and defense attorney before he was first elected to the Superior Court in 1996, has leaned on his breadth of experience in the justice system, including being the court’s presiding judge for four years. In his campaign he took aim at a backlog of pending criminal cases and a decline in the proportion of jail bookings that lead to criminal charges as evidence of mismanagement in the Prosecutor’s Office.
Voters might recognize him from when he presided over the 2023 murder and manslaughter trial of three former Tacoma police officers acquitted in the death of Manuel Ellis, an unarmed Black man who died in an encounter with the police.
Prosecutor is a nonpartisan position in Pierce County, and whoever fills the role will be the chief legal advisor to county officials and responsible for prosecuting all criminal and civil actions involving the county and defending it from lawsuits. He or she will oversee a $94 million budget, the third-most expensive department funded by the county’s general fund.
The prosecutor is elected to a four-year term and is not term limited. The salary is $244,631. According to Pierce County code, the salary is the same as a Superior Court judge, which is set by the Washington Citizen’s Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials.
About the candidates
Bryan Chushcoff, 74, was born and raised in Tacoma. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in business administration, then got his law degree from University of Puget Sound School of Law, now known as the Seattle University School of Law. He started his career running a law practice doing family law, contracts, personal injury, real estate and criminal defense cases. Voters elected him to the Superior Court in 1996. He served on the court’s executive committee for 13 years, and he was the court’s presiding judge for four years. He retired in January 2025.
Coreen Schnepf, 45, was raised in Port Orchard. She earned her certified nursing assistant license at age 17 and later received a degree in psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. She got her law degree from the Seattle University School of Law, then began her career as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Kitsap County. Schnepf rose to become a senior deputy prosecutor before moving to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, where she supervised the domestic violence and human trafficking unit. In January 2024 she became the office’s chief criminal deputy.
This story was originally published November 3, 2026 at 8:33 PM.
The News Tribune
The News Tribune
Isabela Lund is the Lead Breaking News Reporter at The News Tribune. She previously covered the greater Puyallup area as the East Pierce County Reporter. Before joining The News Tribune in February 2025, she served as the digital content manager at KDRV NewsWatch 12 in Medford, Oregon, and as a reporter covering Stanwood and Camano Island in Washington for the Stanwood Camano News. She grew up in Kitsap County and graduated from Western Washington University in 2022 with a degree in journalism.
Source: www.thenewstribune.com
