The 2024 General Election took place last night, and as of the first ballot counts released by the state, 52.66 % of Washington voters turned out for the initial count. Based on current estimates by the Secretary of State, turnout may be in the 65% range. In 2020, 84.14% of Washington voters came out to vote. Washington is an all-vote-by-mail state, and ballots will continue to flow into county election offices and be counted for the rest of this week and next, making the first round of numbers, we see only very preliminary and tentative in many cases.
We will provide another update as the results for a few close races become clear. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at megan@wabankers.com. Thanks again for all of your support with WBA Advocacy.
Statewide Races
Governor
With the retirement of Governor Jay Inslee (D), who has served in that capacity since 2013, Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) handily won to become Washington’s next governor. He leads with 56.28% over former Congressman and King County Sheriff Dave Reichert (R) with 43.53%. A Republican has not been in the Governor’s Mansion since John Spellman (1981-1985). There are currently no Republican statewide officeholders in Washington.
Lieutenant Governor
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck (D) won with 56.6% of the vote over Dan Matthews (R) at 43.29%.
Attorney General
Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s long-awaited run for Governor opened this important position as the state’s top lawyer, a position he held for three terms. Former U.S. Attorney Nick Brown (D) is leading and will win. Currently, he’s at 56.26%. Second Amendment advocate Pete Serrano (R) is at 43.66%.
Insurance Commissioner
Embattled Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler announced his retirement earlier this year, and consumer advocate and lawyer State Senator Patty Kuderer (D-48) quickly emerged as the frontrunner in fundraising for the race. Tonight, Kuderer earned 57.16% over Senator Phil Fortunato (R), who received 42.73%. Fortunato will return to the legislature, and someone will be appointed to fill Kuderer’s Senate seat.
Public Lands Commissioner
After the first round of ballots, King County Councilmember and environmental advocate Dave Upthegrove (D) leads the race for Public Lands Commissioner with 52.99%. Former Congresswoman from Southwest Washington Jamie Herrera Beutler (R) is trailing with 46.79%. As of Tuesday night, 156,796 votes were separating the two, which was decided in the primary by a state-wide recount.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal (D) maintains a lead over Gig Harbor school board member David Olson (R) with 53.51% and 45.94%, respectively.
Auditor
Incumbent State Auditor Pat McCarthy (D) will win over Investor and businessman Matt Hawkins (R) with 58.57% and 41.3%, respectively.
Treasurer
Incumbent State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti (D) won 57.88% over Certified Public Accountant Sharon Hanek (R), who earned 42.08%.
Secretary of State
Incumbent Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) has beaten self-proclaimed whistleblower Dale Whitaker (R) with 59.57% over 40.34%.
Legislative Races
Spokane and Eastern
One of the surprises of the 2024 session was the announcement that Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig (D-3) would not seek re-election, opening not only a safe Democrat Senate seat but the position of majority leader. Representative Marcus Riccelli (D-3) immediately jumped in to campaign for Billig’s old seat. Riccelli will win over Jim Wilson (R) 61.45% to 38.45%. In the race to fill Riccelli’s House seat, Natasha Hill (D) will win over Tony Kiepe (R) 59.48% to 40.28%.
Senator Mike Padden (R-4) retired this year from a safe Republican district, and Representative Leonard Christian (R-4) leads Miguel Valencia (D) 63.83% to 35.97% to fill the seat. In the race to replace Christan’s House seat 2, former Representative Rob Chase (R) is poised to reclaim a seat in the legislature. He has 63.08% over Ted Cummings (D), who trails at 36.77%.
The retirement of Representative Joel Kretz (R-7) in the safe Republican district spurred another congested field of Republicans in the primary. U.S. Navy Reserve Commander Hunter Abell (R) leads with 69.99% over U.S. Army veteran and Springdale Town Council member Paul Dean (D) at 29.89%.
In the open House seat race vacated by Representative Jacqueline Maycumber’s (R-7) run for Congress, former congressional aide Andrew Engell (R) is leading with 63.03% over Former Twisp Mayor, who has 36.06% tonight.
South Sound
In the 2nd, former House Minority Leader JT Wilcox (R-2) announced his retirement earlier this year. Wilcox supports former Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza (R), who trailed physician assistant and law student Matt Marshall (R), earning a whopping 55.92% vote. Snaza earned 40.8%.
There is an open Senate seat in the 22nd due to the retirement of longtime Senator Sam Hunt (D-22). When Hunt announced his retirement, Representative Jessica Bateman (D-22) jumped into the race for the Senate seat. She is going to win with 71.46% tonight. Bob Iyall (D) trails at 26.37%. To fill Bateman’s open House seat in the 22nd, Veterinarian Lisa Parshley (D) will prevail with 64.34%, and Representative Steve Bergquist’s former legislative assistant Syd Locke (D)is at 32.82%.
In the 25th District, there is an open House seat vacated by Representative Kelly Chambers (R-25), who ran unsuccessfully for Pierce County Executive. Former USAF pilot and school board member Michael Keaton (R) is 56.08%, and business owner Cameron Severns (D) is 43.86%.
The retirement of Representative Eric Robertson (R-31) left an open House seat in the 31st. Orting Mayor and USMC veteran Joshua Penner (R) will prevail with 60.94% over Brian Gunn (D) at 38.94%.
Puget Sound
Senator Mark Mullet’s unsuccessful bid for Governor meant giving up his Senate seat in the 5th. Representative Bill Ramos (D) wasted no time last summer in starting to fundraise. Former 5th District Representative Chad Magendanz (R) had been campaigning to be the next Superintendent of Public Instruction until this spring when the state Republican party endorsed David Olson (R). At that point, he switched gears to campaign against Ramos for Senate. Ramos earned 52.49% to Magendanz’s 47.44%. In the Ramos’ House seat race, scientist Victoria Hunt (D) is leading with 54.35% over former representative in the 47th Mark Hargrove (R) at 45.55%.
With House Speaker Emeritus Frank Chopp (D-43) retiring, two Democrats ran for his open seat without any Republican challengers in this safe Democratic district.
Statewide Poverty Action Network policy lead Shaun Scott (D) will win with 67.77%, while Andrea Suarez (D) will be distantly behind at 31.41%.
Representative Larry Springer (D-45) was challenged by a fellow Democrat, Melissa Demyan. With the endorsements of labor, King County Democrats, and Planned Parenthood Votes, Demyan has challenged the more business-friendly Springer but is trailing tonight; Springer should prevail with 56.51% while Demyan has 41.22%.
Central
Of all areas in the state, Central Washington saw substantive changes in district boundaries this year due to a prolonged redistricting process that rippled outward from the Yakima Valley.
Representative Keith Goehner (R-12) will easily win the Senate seat against Democrat opponent former Snoqualmie City Councilmember Jim Mayhew (D) with 55.63% and 44.35%, respectively. In the House, there is an open seat vacated due to Representative Keith Goehner’s (R-12) decision to run for the Senate seat that, before redistricting, belonged to Senator Brad Hawkins (R-12). Law enforcement officer Brian Burnett (R) is 53.01% over Nurse Heather Koellen (D) at 46.93%. Incumbent Representative Mike Steele (R-12) was challenged by fellow Republican Daniel Scott (R). Steele is handily winning 63.58% to 34.71%.
Democrats have been fundraising in Puget Sound for the newly redrawn 14th, with big hopes for progressives to pick up seats, but that may not have been time or money well spent this year. Incumbent Senator Curtis King (R-14) leads 56.69% over community organizer Maria Beltran (D), who sits at 43.04%.
In the open seat vacated by Representative Chris Corry (R-14), who is now running in the 15th, former Grandview City Council Member and Mayor Gloria Mendoza (R) is beating
communications professional Chelsea Dimas (D) 57.38% to 42.04%.
Also, in the 14th, there was an open seat vacated by Representative Gina Mosbrucker (R-14), who was redistricted and retired rather than move or run in a new area. Certified public accountant Deb Manjarrez (R) leads nonprofit community development financial liaison Ana Ruiz Kennedy (D) 54.74% to 44.97%
For the open seat vacated by retiring Representative Bruce Chandler (R-15), Representative Chris Corry (R-14) will win the House race in the new district against Chase Foster (no party stated). Corry is leading 73.87% to 25.86%. In the open seat vacated by Representative Bryan Sandlin (R-15), former Representative and lawyer Jeremie Dufault (R) leads Rich Bright (R) with a huge win, 72.4% over 25.27%.
Peninsula
In the Senate seat vacated by Senator Kevin Van De Wege’s (D-24) unsuccessful run for Public Lands Commissioner, Representative Mike Chapman (D-24) is leading 56.4% to Lawyer Marcia Kelbon (R) at 43.5%. In Chapman’s vacant House seat in the 24th, Senator Van De Wege’s former legislative assistant Adam Bernbaum (D) leads 56.33% to Clallam County deputy prosecutor Matthew Roberson (R) at 43.57%.
The 26th is one of the few true swing districts left in the state and is currently represented by a Democrat Senator, Emily Randall, and two Republican House members. Preliminary results show Emily Randall will not be returning to the legislature, and someone will be appointed later this year, as her congressional race is leading at 57.3% over Senator Drew MacEwen (R-35), who is at 42.58%. MacEwen will return to the Senate.
In the open seat vacated by Representative Spencer Hutchins (R-26), who chose not to run for reelection, citing the strain on family and business, Addison Richards (D) is leading at 52.25% over Former Representative Jesse Young (R), who is at 47.63%.
Southwest
Representative Paul Harris (R-17) is running for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Senator Lynda Wilson (R-17). Currently, he leads 50.49% to Marla Keethler (D), at 49.4%. As of Tuesday, 671 votes were separating the two candidates. In Representative Harris’ old House seat, Nurse Terri Niles (D) leads 50.18% over Washougal Mayor David Stuebe (R) at 49.69%.
In the 18th, teacher Adrian Cortes (D) led with 50.82% of the vote, and the son of former Senator Don Benton, Brad Benton (R), was second with 49%. Just 1,136 votes separated the two after the first round of ballots was released. Representative Greg Cheney had given up his House seat to run for Senate but lost in the primary. In Greg Cheney’s vacant House seat, teacher John Zingale (D) is trailing former Delta pilot John Ley (R). Zingale has 49.75 to Ley’s 50.1%. There were just 222 votes between the two candidates.
North Sound
The 10th District, the other true swing district, has been represented by a Republican Senator and two Democrat House members. Incumbent Senator Ron Muzzall (R-10) is at 49.77%, trailing Island County Commissioner and social worker Janet St Clair (D), who sits tonight at 50.12%. As of Tuesday night, 153 votes separate the two.
Incumbent Representative Clyde Shavers (D-10) is winning 54% over Carrie Kennedy (R) in second with 45.87%.
In the safe Republican 39th, incumbent Sam Low (R-39) has been supported by his caucus when challenged by former Representative Robert Sutherland (R). Low is leading at 58.57%, with Sutherland trailing at 39.84%.
Initiatives
Initiative No. 2066 (concerns regulating energy services, including natural gas and electrification) is passing tonight at 51.22% to 48.87%.
Initiative No. 2117 (concerns carbon tax credit trading) is failing at 61.69% to 38.31%.
Initiative No. 2109 (concerns capital gains taxes) is failing at 63.21% to 36.79%.
Initiative No. 2124 (concerns state long-term care insurance) is failing 55.49% to 44.51%.
Congressional
In the state’s lone Senate race this year, Maria Cantwell handily defeated Dr. Raul Garcia 59.77% to 40%, returning Cantwell to the capital.
Suzan DelBene (D-1) will also return, earning 64.11% of the votes, and Rick Larsen (D-2) earning 64.35%.
In the 3rd District, a hotly contested race featuring a rematch of the 2022 race between Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-3) and Joe Kent, Perez is up 51.78% to 47.84%, with 11,798 votes separating them as of Tuesday evening.
Another close race saw incumbent Dan Newhouse (R-4) up 50.35% to Jarrod Sessler, who earned 48.03%. There were 3,829 votes between them. Newhouse is the last remaining Republican in Congress who voted to impeach President Trump.
In the 5th District, Michael Baumgartner, a former state lawmaker and current Spokane County Treasurer, will replace retiring Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Baumgartner had 59.79% of the votes Tuesday night.
In the other open seat in Washington, the 6th District, State Senator Emily Randall is poised to head to D.C. to replace Rep. Derek Kilmer with 57.3% of the votes over fellow state Senator Drew MacEwen.
Pramila Jayapal (D-7) cruised to an easy win in the 7th District with 84.77% of the votes, while Rep. Kim Schrier (D-8) earned 54.18% of the votes over banker Carmen Goers (R). Adam Smith will also return to the capital in the 9th District after gaining 68.99% of the votes and will be joined by incumbent Marylin Strickland (D-10) with 58.39% of the votes in the Olympia area.