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![]() County results Spellman: 50–60% 60–70% McDermott: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Washington |
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The 1980 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Democratic governor Dixy Lee Ray ran for a second term, but lost in the primary to State Representative Jim McDermott. McDermott was defeated in the general election by Republican candidate John Spellman, the King County Executive. As of 2024 [update] , this is the last time a Republican was elected Governor of Washington, thus beginning the longest Democratic streak in any of the 50 state governorships once Spellman left office.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jim McDermott | 321,256 | 33.04% | |
Democratic | Dixy Lee Ray (incumbent) | 234,252 | 24.09% | |
Republican | John Spellman | 162,426 | 16.70% | |
Republican | Duane Berentson | 154,724 | 15.91% | |
Republican | Bruce Chapman | 70,875 | 7.29% | |
Republican | Patrick Sean McGowan | 7,324 | 0.75% | |
Democratic | Caroline Diamond | 4,184 | 0.43% | |
Democratic | Robert L. Baldwin Sr. | 3,578 | 0.37% | |
Socialist Workers | Mary Nell Bockman | 2,833 | 0.29% | |
Democratic | Lloyd G. Isley | 2,723 | 0.28% | |
Republican | Louise A. Saluteen | 2,622 | 0.27% | |
Democratic | Douglas P. Bestle | 2,481 | 0.26% | |
Republican | Rabbine Matthew Sutich | 1,606 | 0.17% | |
Democratic | Jef Jaisun | 1,476 | 0.15% | |
Total votes | 972,360 | 100.00% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Spellman | 981,083 | 56.68% | +12.25% | |
Democratic | Jim McDermott | 749,813 | 43.32% | −9.82% | |
Majority | 231,270 | 13.36% | |||
Total votes | 1,730,896 | 100.00% | |||
Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +22.08% |
John Spellman was the first Republican to carry Franklin County, Mason County, and Pierce County since Roland H. Hartley in 1928. Franklin County has voted Republican in every subsequent gubernatorial election. Spellman is the most recent Republican to have won King County and Thurston County. Snohomish County and Whatcom County have voted Republican only once since this election. [a]
County [2] | John Spellman Republican | Jim McDermott Democratic | Margin | Total votes cast | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 3,259 | 68.08% | 1,528 | 31.92% | 1,731 | 36.16% | 4,787 |
Asotin | 3,817 | 57.17% | 2,859 | 42.83% | 958 | 14.35% | 6,676 |
Benton | 30,710 | 69.25% | 13,637 | 30.75% | 17,073 | 38.50% | 44,347 |
Chelan | 11,734 | 60.47% | 7,670 | 39.53% | 4,064 | 20.94% | 19,404 |
Clallam | 12,729 | 57.09% | 9,567 | 42.91% | 3,162 | 14.18% | 22,296 |
Clark | 39,225 | 54.79% | 32,364 | 45.21% | 6,861 | 9.58% | 71,589 |
Columbia | 1,352 | 66.86% | 670 | 33.14% | 682 | 33.73% | 2,022 |
Cowlitz | 14,160 | 50.45% | 13,910 | 49.55% | 250 | 0.89% | 28,070 |
Douglas | 5,248 | 60.25% | 3,462 | 39.75% | 1,786 | 20.51% | 8,710 |
Ferry | 956 | 47.26% | 1,067 | 52.74% | -111 | -5.49% | 2,023 |
Franklin | 7,249 | 61.94% | 4,454 | 38.06% | 2,795 | 23.88% | 11,703 |
Garfield | 974 | 65.99% | 502 | 34.01% | 472 | 31.98% | 1,476 |
Grant | 10,839 | 60.80% | 6,989 | 39.20% | 3,850 | 21.60% | 17,828 |
Grays Harbor | 12,971 | 49.76% | 13,098 | 50.24% | -127 | -0.49% | 26,069 |
Island | 11,285 | 61.72% | 6,998 | 38.28% | 4,287 | 23.45% | 18,283 |
Jefferson | 3,961 | 49.11% | 4,105 | 50.89% | -144 | -1.79% | 8,066 |
King | 327,941 | 55.10% | 267,218 | 44.90% | 60,723 | 10.20% | 595,159 |
Kitsap | 36,372 | 60.10% | 24,150 | 39.90% | 12,222 | 20.19% | 60,522 |
Kittitas | 5,783 | 54.53% | 4,822 | 45.47% | 961 | 9.06% | 10,605 |
Klickitat | 2,944 | 48.29% | 3,152 | 51.71% | -208 | -3.41% | 6,096 |
Lewis | 14,230 | 62.38% | 8,580 | 37.62% | 5,650 | 24.77% | 22,810 |
Lincoln | 3,471 | 64.52% | 1,909 | 35.48% | 1,562 | 29.03% | 5,380 |
Mason | 7,414 | 53.84% | 6,357 | 46.16% | 1,057 | 7.68% | 13,771 |
Okanogan | 6,710 | 53.89% | 5,741 | 46.11% | 969 | 7.78% | 12,451 |
Pacific | 3,379 | 42.08% | 4,650 | 57.92% | -1,271 | -15.83% | 8,029 |
Pend Oreille | 2,045 | 54.78% | 1,688 | 45.22% | 357 | 9.56% | 3,733 |
Pierce | 98,289 | 56.62% | 75,305 | 43.38% | 22,984 | 13.24% | 173,594 |
San Juan | 2,587 | 52.77% | 2,315 | 47.23% | 272 | 5.55% | 4,902 |
Skagit | 17,003 | 55.41% | 13,683 | 44.59% | 3,320 | 10.82% | 30,686 |
Skamania | 1,361 | 45.92% | 1,603 | 54.08% | -242 | -8.16% | 2,964 |
Snohomish | 75,203 | 55.38% | 60,587 | 44.62% | 14,616 | 10.76% | 135,790 |
Spokane | 84,400 | 59.76% | 56,827 | 40.24% | 27,573 | 19.52% | 141,227 |
Stevens | 7,178 | 62.42% | 4,322 | 37.58% | 2,856 | 24.83% | 11,500 |
Thurston | 31,803 | 57.90% | 23,122 | 42.10% | 8,681 | 15.81% | 54,925 |
Wahkiakum | 767 | 45.30% | 926 | 54.70% | -159 | -9.39% | 1,693 |
Walla Walla | 11,993 | 63.30% | 6,954 | 36.70% | 5,039 | 26.60% | 18,947 |
Whatcom | 23,722 | 51.64% | 22,215 | 48.36% | 1,507 | 3.28% | 45,937 |
Whitman | 9,773 | 57.60% | 7,195 | 42.40% | 2,578 | 15.19% | 16,968 |
Yakima | 36,246 | 60.55% | 23,612 | 39.45% | 12,634 | 21.11% | 59,858 |
Totals | 981,083 | 56.68% | 749,813 | 43.32% | 231,270 | 13.36% | 1,730,896 |
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