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General elections were held in the U.S. stateofWashington on November 3, 2020. A primary was held on August 4.[1] This election cycle is notable as it was only the second in state history in which Democrats won the top three statewide elections by double digits. The first was the 1936 election, in the middle of the Great Depression.[2] As of 2023[update], this was the last time Republicans won any statewide election in Washington.
Washington has 12 electoral votes for the presidential election, remaining unchanged from 2016.[3] A presidential primary for both parties was held on March 10, 2020, with 13 candidates for the Democrats and one candidate for the Republicans.[4] The 2020 Democratic primary was the first in the state's history to have a binding vote, replacing the caucus system that overrode the nonbinding primary vote.[5]
All 10 of Washington's seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for re-election. All but one of the incumbents ran for re-election, the exception being Denny Heck (D) of the 10th district.[6]
Incumbent governor Jay Inslee (D) was re-elected to a third term in a landslide.[7]
Incumbent lieutenant governor Cyrus Habib (D) retired from politics.[8] U.S. Representative Denny Heck won the open seat.[9]
Incumbent attorney general Bob Ferguson (D) was re-elected to a third term.[7][10]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Matt Larkin (R) |
Brett Rogers (R) |
Mike Vaska (R) |
Bob Ferguson (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | July 22–27, 2020 | 513 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 13% | 7% | 5% | 52% | 22% |
| SurveyUSA | May 16–19, 2020 | 650 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 8% | 8% | 4% | 47% | 32% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Bob Ferguson (D) |
Matt Larkin (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 53% | 39% | 8% |
| SurveyUSA | October 8–10, 2020 | 591 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 49% | 38% | 13% |
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Bob Ferguson (incumbent) | 1,356,225 | 55.8 | |
| Republican | Matt Larkin | 575,470 | 23.7 | |
| Republican | Brett Rogers | 296,843 | 12.2 | |
| Republican | Mike Vaska | 199,826 | 8.2 | |
| Write-in | 2,372 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 2,430,736 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Bob Ferguson (incumbent) | 2,226,418 | 56.4 | |
| Republican | Matt Larkin | 1,714,927 | 43.5 | |
| Write-in | 3,968 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 3,945,313 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Incumbent secretary of state Kim Wyman (R) was re-elected to a third term.[7][13] State Representative Gael Tarleton (D–Seattle) unsuccessfully challenged Wyman.[14]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Kim Wyman (incumbent) | 1,238,455 | 50.9 | |
| Democratic | Gael Tarleton | 1,053,584 | 43.3 | |
| Independent | Ed Minger | 87,982 | 3.6 | |
| Washington Progressive Party | Gentry Lange | 51,826 | 2.1 | |
| Write-in | 1,919 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 2,433,766 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Kim Wyman (incumbent) | 2,116,141 | 53.6 | |
| Democratic | Gael Tarleton | 1,826,710 | 46.3 | |
| Write-in | 4,666 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 3,947,517 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Incumbent Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz (D) was re-elected to a second term.[7]
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Hilary Franz | Sue Kuehl Pederson | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 2, 2020 | The Columbian | YouTube | P | P | |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Hillary Franz (D) |
Sue Kuehl Pederson (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 49% | 36% | 15% |
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Hilary Franz (incumbent) | 1,211,310 | 51.1 | |
| Republican | Sue Kuehl Pederson | 554,147 | 23.4 | |
| Republican | Cameron Whitney | 197,610 | 8.3 | |
| Republican | Steve Sharon | 179,714 | 7.6 | |
| Democratic | Frank Wallbrown | 122,136 | 5.2 | |
| Libertarian | Kelsey Reyes | 77,407 | 3.4 | |
| Republican | Maryam Abasbarzy | 24,189 | 1.0 | |
| Write-in | 2,504 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 2,369,017 | 100 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Hilary Franz (incumbent) | 2,212,158 | 56.7 | |
| Republican | Sue Kuehl Pederson | 1,686,320 | 43.2 | |
| Write-in | 3,799 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 3,902,277 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Incumbent state auditor Pat McCarthy (D) was re-elected to a second term.[7]
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Pat McCarthy | Chris Leyba | |||||
| 1 | Sep. 23, 2020 | The Columbian | YouTube | P | P | |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Pat McCarthy (D) |
Chris Leyba (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 48% | 34% | 14% |
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Pat McCarthy (incumbent) | 1,134,077 | 47.4 | |
| Republican | Chris Leyba | 982,411 | 41.1 | |
| Democratic | Joshua Casey | 273,198 | 11.4 | |
| Write-in | 2,278 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 2,391,964 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Pat McCarthy (incumbent) | 2,260,830 | 58.0 | |
| Republican | Chris Leyba | 1,633,956 | 41.9 | |
| Write-in | 3,316 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 3,898,102 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Incumbent state treasurer Duane Davidson (R) ran for a second term. State Representative Mike Pellicciotti (D–Federal Way) defeated Davidson.[15]
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Duane Davidson | Mike Pellicciotti | |||||
| 1 | Sep. 17, 2020 | League of Women Voters of Washington League of Women Voters ofBenton & Franklin counties The Spokesman-Review TVW |
Matt Loveless | YouTube | P | P |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Duane Davidson (R) |
Mike Pellicciotti (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 36% | 46% | 18% |
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Mike Pellicciotti | 1,279,452 | 53.2 | |
| Republican | Duane Davidson (incumbent) | 1,121,885 | 46.7 | |
| Write-in | 2,604 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 2,403,941 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Mike Pellicciotti | 2,089,159 | 53.4 | |
| Republican | Duane Davidson (incumbent) | 1,818,895 | 46.5 | |
| Write-in | 3,339 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 3,911,393 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
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← 2016
2024 →
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Results by county | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent state superintendent Chris Reykdal (non-partisan election) was re-elected to a second term.[7]
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Chris Reykdal | Maia Espinoza | |||||
| 1 | Sep. 18, 2020 | Washington State Wire | YouTube | P | P | |
| 2 | Sep. 25, 2020 | City Inside/Out | Brian Callahan | YouTube | P | P |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Chris Rekydal |
Maia Espinoza |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 30% | 23% | 47% |
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Nonpartisan | Chris Reykdal (incumbent) | 898,951 | 40.2 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maia Espinoza | 564,674 | 25.3 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ron Higgins | 456,879 | 20.5 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dennis Wick | 121,425 | 5.4 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Spring | 111,176 | 5.0 | |
| Nonpartisan | Stan Lippmann | 71,395 | 3.2 | |
| Write-in | 9,571 | 0.4 | ||
| Total votes | 2,234,071 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Nonpartisan | Chris Reykdal (incumbent) | 1,955,365 | 54.6 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maia Espinoza | 1,609,643 | 44.9 | |
| Write-in | 17,957 | 0.5 | ||
| Total votes | 3,582,965 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Incumbent insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler (D) was re-elected to a sixth term.[7]
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Mike Kreidler | Chirayu Avinash Patel | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 14, 2020 | The Columbian | YouTube | P | N | |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Mike Kreidler (D) |
Chirayu Avinash Patel (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 52% | 30% | 18% |
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Mike Kreidler (incumbent) | 1,402,650 | 59.0 | |
| Republican | Chirayu Avinash Patel | 644,446 | 27.1 | |
| Libertarian | Anthony Welti | 324,921 | 13.7 | |
| Write-in | 4,220 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 2,376,237 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Mike Kreidler (incumbent) | 2,506,693 | 65.4 | |
| Republican | Chirayu Avinash Patel | 1,308,292 | 34.1 | |
| Write-in | 18,576 | 0.5 | ||
| Total votes | 3,833,561 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Seats 3, 4, and 7 of the Washington Supreme Court were up for six-year terms. Debra L. Stephens, Charles W. Johnson, and Raquel Montoya-Lewis ran for new terms. Seat 6 Justice Charles Wiggins retired and Governor Inslee's appointee G. Helen Whitener[16] ran for the final two years of the term.[17]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Raquel Montoya-Lewis |
David Larson |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 21% | 17% | 62% |
| Public Policy Polling (D) | May 19–20, 2020 | 1,070 (LV) | ± 3% | 14% | 8% | 78% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
G. Helen Whitener |
Richard S. Serns |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 22% | 12% | 66% |
| Public Policy Polling (D) | May 19–20, 2020 | 1,070 (LV) | ± 3% | 13% | 6% | 81% |
Twenty-five of the forty-nine seats in the Washington State Senate were up for election. Democrats kept a 28–21 majority in the Senate. Senators retiring this election were Senators Randi Becker (R-Olympia),[18] Maureen Walsh (R-Walla Walla),[19] and Hans Zeiger (R-Puyallup).[20] Senators Dean Takko (D) and Steve O'Ban (R) lost reelection.
All 98 seats in the Washington House of Representatives were up for election. Democrats kept a 57–41 majority in the House. House members who didn't run for re-election were Representatives Sherry Appleton (D-Poulsbo),[21] Richard DeBolt (R-Chehalis),[22] Beth Doglio (D-Olympia),[23] Chris Gildon (R-Puyallup),[20] Bill Jenkin (R-Prosser),[24] Christine Kilduff (D-University Place),[25] Mike Pellicciotti (D-Federal Way),[15] Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle),[26] Norma Smith (R-Clinton),[27] and Gael Tarleton (D-Seattle).[14] Representatives Luanne Van Werven (R) and Brian Blake (D) lost reelection.
Noinitiatives to the people qualified for the ballot. One referendum was on the ballot, on Senate Bill 5395 regarding sexual education.[28] One constitutional amendment was on the ballot, regarding the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Account and the Long-Term Care Services and Supports Trust Account.[29] It passed with 58% in favor.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Approve | Reject | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPP/NPI | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 56% | 33% | 11% |
| SurveyUSA/KING-TV | October 8–10, 2020 | 591 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 52% | 34% | 14% |
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020
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