Washington Secretary of State election, 2024

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Washington Secretary of State
Top-two primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 10, 2024
Primary: August 6, 2024 General: November 5, 2024 Pre-election incumbent(s): Steve Hobbs
How to vote
Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m. Voting in Washington
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2024 Impact of term limits in 2024 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
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Washington held an election for secretary of state on November 5, 2024. The primary was August 6, 2024. The filing deadline was May 10, 2024.

As chief elections officer, the Washington Secretary of State is responsible for administering elections in the state. For more on election administration legislation in Washington, click here.

Incumbent Steve Hobbs won election in the general election for Washington Secretary of State.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Washington Secretary of State election, 2024 (August 6 top-two primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Washington Secretary of State

Incumbent Steve Hobbs defeated Dale Whitaker in the general election for Washington Secretary of State on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Hobbs (D)	59.6	1,519,809
		Dale Whitaker (R)	40.3	1,029,220
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,301

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 2,551,330
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington Secretary of State

Incumbent Steve Hobbs and Dale Whitaker defeated Marquez Tiggs and Damon Townsend in the primary for Washington Secretary of State on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Hobbs (D)	48.4	930,533
✔		Dale Whitaker (R)	36.9	709,046
		Marquez Tiggs (D)	9.7	185,628
		Damon Townsend (No Labels​ Party)	5.0	96,586
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,534

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,923,327
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Phil Fortunato (R)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2016.

2022

See also: Washington Secretary of State election, 2022

Washington held a special election for secretary of state on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for August 2, 2022. The filing deadline was May 20, 2022.

General election

Special general election for Washington Secretary of State

Incumbent Steve Hobbs defeated Julie Anderson and Brad Klippert in the special general election for Washington Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Hobbs (D)	49.8	1,468,521
		Julie Anderson (Independent)	45.8	1,351,926
		Brad Klippert (R) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	4.4	129,933

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,950,380
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Special nonpartisan primary for Washington Secretary of State

The following candidates ran in the special primary for Washington Secretary of State on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Hobbs (D)	39.9	747,993
✔		Julie Anderson (Independent)	12.8	240,035
		Keith Wagoner (R)	12.2	227,842
		Bob Hagglund (R)	12.0	225,633
		Mark Miloscia (R)	10.0	187,774
		Marquez Tiggs (D)	7.9	148,716
		Tamborine Borrelli (America First Republican Party)	4.6	86,748
		Kurtis Engle (Union Party)	0.4	6,887
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,499

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,873,127
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Washington Secretary of State election, 2020

General election

General election for Washington Secretary of State

Incumbent Kim Wyman defeated Gael Tarleton in the general election for Washington Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Wyman (R)	53.6	2,116,141
		Gael Tarleton (D)	46.3	1,826,710
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	4,666

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,947,517
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington Secretary of State

Incumbent Kim Wyman and Gael Tarleton defeated Ed Minger and Gentry Lange in the primary for Washington Secretary of State on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Wyman (R)	50.9	1,238,455
✔		Gael Tarleton (D)	43.3	1,053,584
		Ed Minger (Independent)	3.6	87,982
		Gentry Lange (Progressive Party of Washington State)	2.1	51,826
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,919

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,433,766
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Washington Secretary of State election, 2016

The general election for secretary of state was held on November 8, 2016.

Incumbent Kim Wyman defeated Tina Podlodowski in the Washington secretary of state election.

Washington Secretary of State, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Kim Wyman Incumbent	54.74%	1,713,004
	Democratic	Tina Podlodowski	45.26%	1,416,299
Total Votes				3,129,303
Source: Washington Secretary of State

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

• Presidential elections
• Statewide elections
• State partisanship
• Demographics

See also: Presidential voting trends in Washington and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Washington, 2024
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Washington's 1st	Suzan DelBene	Democratic	D+13
Washington's 2nd	Rick Larsen	Democratic	D+9
Washington's 3rd	Marie Gluesenkamp Perez	Democratic	R+5
Washington's 4th	Dan Newhouse	Republican	R+11
Washington's 5th	Cathy McMorris Rodgers	Republican	R+8
Washington's 6th	Derek Kilmer	Democratic	D+6
Washington's 7th	Pramila Jayapal	Democratic	D+36
Washington's 8th	Kim Schrier	Democratic	D+1
Washington's 9th	Adam Smith	Democratic	D+21
Washington's 10th	Marilyn Strickland	Democratic	D+7

2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Washington[1]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Washington's 1st	64.0%	33.3%
Washington's 2nd	60.1%	37.2%
Washington's 3rd	46.6%	50.8%
Washington's 4th	40.3%	57.2%
Washington's 5th	43.5%	53.5%
Washington's 6th	57.1%	39.9%
Washington's 7th	86.8%	11.3%
Washington's 8th	52.0%	45.3%
Washington's 9th	71.5%	26.3%
Washington's 10th	57.3%	39.6%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 72.5% of Washingtonians lived in one of the state's 11 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 22.3% lived in one of 22 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Washington was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Washington following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Washington county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	11	72.5%
Solid Republican	22	22.3%
Trending Republican	4	3.6%
Battleground Democratic	1	1.0%
Trending Democratic	1	0.6%
Total voted Democratic	13	74.1%
Total voted Republican	26	25.9%

Historical voting trends

Washington presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 17 Democratic wins
• 13 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	P[2]	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Washington

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Washington.

U.S. Senate election results in Washington
Race	Winner	Runner up
2022	57.1%	42.6%
2018	58.3%	41.5%
2016	58.8%	40.9%
2012	60.4%	39.5%
2010	52.1%	47.4%
Average	57.3	41.8

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Washington

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Washington.

Gubernatorial election results in Washington
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	56.6%	43.1%
2016	54.2%	45.5%
2012	51.4%	48.3%
2008	53.0%	46.6%
2004	48.9%	48.9%
Average	52.8	46.5

See also: Party control of Washington state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Washington's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Washington
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	8	10
Republican	0	2	2
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	10	12

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Washington's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Washington, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jay Inslee
Lieutenant Governor	Denny Heck
Secretary of State	Steve Hobbs
Attorney General	Bob Ferguson

State legislature

Washington State Senate

Party		As of NFebruary 2024
	Democratic Party	29
	Republican Party	20
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		49

Washington House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	58
	Republican Party	40
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		98

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Washington Party Control: 1992-2024
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R[3]	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

The table below details demographic data in Washington and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.

Demographic Data for Washington
	Washington	United States
Population	7,705,281	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	66,455	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	69.9%	65.9%
Black/African American	3.9%	12.5%
Asian	9.2%	5.8%
Native American	1.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.7%	0.2%
Two or more	9.9%	8.8%
Hispanic/Latino	13.5%	18.7%
Education
High school graduation rate	92.1%	89.1%
College graduation rate	38%	34.3%
Income
Median household income	$90,325	$75,149
Persons below poverty level	6.3%	8.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Election administration legislation in Washington

See also: Election policy in Washington

As of 2024, the Washington Secretary of State was the state's chief election officer.

Of the 3,745 election-related bills introduced nationwide as of June 30, Washington state legislators introduced 42 bills and enacted four bills.

In 2023, of the 35 bills introduced, 11 bills were enacted. Of the 41 bills introduced in 2022, three bills were passed. For more election-related legislation in Washington, see our Election Administration Legislation Tracker.

The table below lists bills related to election administration introduced during (or carried over to) the 2024 legislative session in Washington.

See also

Washington	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
Washington State Executive Offices Washington State Legislature Washington Courts	2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 Washington elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016	Party control of state government State government trifectas State of the state addresses Partisan composition of governors

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Washington secretary of state official website

Footnotes

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