Democrats cling to monopoly in Washington state

Editor’s note: This report was updated Nov. 1.

STATE STATS 

Voter makeup: The Evergreen state has more than 4.9 million registered voters as of Oct. 1. It is one of the nation’s 17 Democratic trifectas—the party maintains control of the governor’s seat and both legislative chambers––and has been so for nearly two decades. Washington is also a triplex: Democrats hold the three key positions of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. But this November, key seats are up for grabs. State Democratic leaders who gathered in June predicted this year’s election will be tight.

Voting: Washington does not require voters to register with a political party. It is a vote-by-mail state—ballots are automatically sent to the address where voters are registered. Only first-time voters are required to show identification to vote by mail, but residents must show identification or sign a ballot declaration when voting in person. Since 2019, the state has allowed same-day voter registration. Absentee ballots must be requested 18 days before an election and postmarked by Election Day.

Voters can request and track absentee ballots, locate polling places, and view sample ballots on the secretary of state’s website under the elections tab. Oct. 28 was the deadline for Washingtonians to register to vote or update their address online or by mail.

PRESIDENTIAL

In the state’s March 12 presidential primary, President Joe Biden won 84.5 percent of the Democratic vote. Nearly 10 percent of Democratic voters filled out their ballots as “uncommitted,” reflecting growing state and national protests against the Biden administration’s support for Israel. Candidates Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips each received less than 3 percent of the votes. After Biden dropped out of the presidential race, all but two of Washington’s delegates switched their support to Vice President Kamala Harris to elect her the party nominee.

In the state’s Republican primary, former President Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley with 76 percent of the votes. In the 2020 elections, the state favored Biden over Trump by 19.4 percentage points.

GUBERNATORIAL

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, 73, has served three terms, but he announced last year he will not seek reelection. The state does not have term limits, making Inslee the longest-serving current U.S. governor and the second in the state to serve three consecutive terms. He was first elected in 2012.

In the race to fill Inslee’s spot, Democratic state Attorney General Bob Ferguson is running against U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, a Republican and former King County sheriff, and state land commissioner Hilary Franz, a Democrat. 

Reichart faces an uphill battle: The state has not had a Republican governor since 1985. In the August primary, Ferguson received 45 percent of the votes to qualify for the general election. Reichart earned about 27 percent.

U.S. HOUSE

With Republicans holding a narrow majority in Congress, races in Washington could prove consequential in the fight for control. In the state’s 3rd District, polling data in early October showed first-term incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, 36, a moderate Democrat, remains neck-and-neck with Republican challenger Joe Kent, 44. Trump won the district in 2020. Before Gluesenkamp Perez won in 2022, Republicans represented the district for more than a decade. In Washington’s 8th District, Democratic incumbent Kim Schrier, 55, appears to have a solid lead in recent polls in a face-off against Republican Rep. Carmen Goers.

SENATE 

Longtime incumbent U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, 65, a Democrat, is up for reelection. If Cantwell is reelected and completes another full term, she will have served 30 years in the Senate. Her Republican challenger, Raul Garcia, 53 is an emergency room doctor who briefly ran for governor in 2020 before losing in the primary. He announced last year that he would run for the office again in 2024, but he dropped out early in his campaign to run for the Senate. Recent polls show Cantwell leading Garcia, who has portrayed himself as a moderate Republican.

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS  

The terms of three state Supreme Court justices are set to expire in January 2025. Two justices are running for reelection unopposed. Two candidates—longtime Seattle attorney Salvador “Sal” Mungia and Federal Way Municipal Court judge Dave Larson—are vying for the remaining open seat left by Justice Susan Owens, who reached retirement age and is not eligible for reelection. Gov.Inslee endorsed Mungia.

In Washington, state Supreme Court justices are selected in a nonpartisan election.

BALLOT MEASURES 

Four conservative-backed initiatives will appear on voters’ ballots this November. Those include measures to end the state’s cap-and-trade program; repeal its capital gains tax; block local and state policies prohibiting natural gas; and amend a law to allow Washingtonians to opt out of a state-run long-term healthcare program.

Dig deeper:

• Josh Schumacher reports on Gov. Jay Inslee’s order requiring the state’s Department of Corrections to stockpile abortion drugs.

• Leah Savas covers Inslee’s pro-abortion priorities.

• Listen to Mary Reichard and Myrna Brown’s report on the state’s “trans refuge” law.

• Olivia Hajicek covers Washington’s move to roll back protections against assisted suicide.

• Steve West reports on Seattle Pacific University’s challenge to a state investigation over its hiring practices.

• Christina Grube covers the Supreme Court rejection of a case challenging the state’s “conversion therapy” ban for minors.

Visit the WORLD Election Center 2024 to follow our state-by-state coverage between now and November.