 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Gorton: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% Sims: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Washington |
|---|
 |
The 1994 United States Senate election in Washington was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Senator Slade Gorton won re-election to a second consecutive term. As of 2024, this was the last time a Republicans or a man won a U.S. Senate election in Washington.
Incumbent Slade Gorton was first elected U.S. Senator from Washington in 1980. Gorton narrowly lost his re-election bid in 1986. In 1988, Gorton successfully ran for the state's other Senate seat.
Leading up to the 1994 U.S. Senate elections, Gorton was considered one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents. Democrats had swept the statewide elections in 1992—winning the presidential, gubernatorial, and U.S. Senate races. [1]
Many prominent Washington Democrats declined to contest the seat. Campaign analyst Charlie Cook of The Cook Political Report wrote that "the real top-notch folks just aren't running." Seattle mayor Norm Rice was encouraged by President Bill Clinton to run, but opted to stay in his position as mayor. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee unsuccessfully urged members of the state's U.S. House delegation to run. [1]
Ron Sims, King County Councilman, won the crowded Democratic primary with 18% of the vote. News anchor Mike James came in second with 15%; all other candidates received less than 5%. [2]
Incumbent Slade Gorton faced no serious competition for the Republican nomination. Gorton won the primary with 52% of the vote. No other Republican candidate received any significant amount of support. [2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Slade Gorton (incumbent) | 492,251 | 52.95% | |
| Democratic | Ron Sims | 162,382 | 17.47% | |
| Democratic | Mike James | 138,005 | 14.85% | |
| Democratic | Scott Hardman | 29,973 | 3.32% | |
| Republican | Warren E. Hanson | 26,628 | 2.86% | |
| Democratic | Jesse Wineberry | 24,698 | 2.66% | |
| Total votes | 873,937 | 100.00% | ||
Despite serving 12 years in the U.S. Senate, Gorton campaigned in 1994 as an outsider candidate. [3] [4] He told crowds at campaign rallies: "If you want more of what you're getting from Washington, D.C., send one of my opponents. If you want a different direction, give a voice to balance by sending me back to the Senate." [5] He gained support among agricultural, logging, and mining groups in Eastern Washington for his criticism of federal regulations. Gorton called for opening up more federal forests to logging and changes to the Endangered Species Act. [5]
Sims campaigned in support of the Clinton administration. He accused Gorton of obstructing President Clinton's healthcare and crime reforms. [2] The Sims campaign also attempted to portray Gorton as out of touch with the average Washingtonian. [4] Sims was the first African American U.S. Senate candidate in state history to advance to the general election, although the issue of race was rarely addressed during the campaign. [4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Slade Gorton (incumbent) | 947,821 | 55.75% | +4.71% | |
| Democratic | Ron Sims | 752,352 | 44.25% | -4.61% | |
| Majority | 195,469 | 11.5% | +155,293 | ||
| Turnout | 1,700,173 | -148,369 | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Maria Ellen Cantwell is an American politician and former businesswoman serving as the junior United States senator from Washington since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993, and in the United States House of Representatives from Washington's 1st congressional district from 1993 to 1995.
Thomas Slade Gorton III was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Washington from 1981 to 1987 and again from 1989 until 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he held both of the state's U.S. Senate seats in his career and was narrowly defeated for reelection twice, first in 1986 by Brock Adams and again in 2000 by Maria Cantwell following a recount, becoming the last Republican senator to date for each seat.
The 1994 United States Senate elections were held November 8, 1994, with the 33 seats of Class 1 contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. The Republican Party took control of the Senate from the Democrats. Like for most other midterm elections, the opposition, this time being the Republicans, held the traditional advantage. The congressional Republicans campaigned against the early presidency of Bill Clinton, including his unsuccessful health care plan. Democrats held a 56-44 majority, after having lost a seat in Texas in a 1993 special election.
The 2006 United States Senate election in Washington was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell won reelection to a second term.
The 2000 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Slade Gorton was seeking reelection to a third consecutive term, and a fourth overall, but he was unseated for a second time by a very narrow margin by former Congresswoman Maria Cantwell. The race was the most expensive contest in the state's history at the time.
The 1988 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Daniel J. Evans decided to retire instead of running for re-election to a full term, after being appointed to the seat in 1983, and won election to a partial term that same year. Republican former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, who had just lost a re-election bid in 1986, won the open seat. As of 2024, this is the last time Washington simultaneously voted for different parties for President and for Senate, as Michael Dukakis was simultaneously carrying the state against George H. W. Bush.
The 1994 United States Senate election in Florida was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Connie Mack III won re-election easily, earning a second term and carrying every county in the state.
The 1986 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 3, 1986. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Slade Gorton lost re-election to former Transportation Secretary Brock Adams. Gorton later won Washington's other Senate seat in 1988 and 1994 before losing re-election again in 2000.
The 1980 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 4, 1980. Longtime incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson, the Senate President pro tempore, ran for a seventh term in office but lost re-election to State Attorney General Slade Gorton, a Republican. Magnuson was the most senior U.S. senator to lose re-election until Ted Stevens' defeat in 2008. Gorton was one of the dozen Republicans who beat Democrats to seize control of the Senate fueled by Ronald Reagan's landslide victory. As of 2023, this remains the last time that the Republicans have won Washington's Class 3 Senate seat, and the only time since 1926.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the ten U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's ten congressional districts, a gain of one seat following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election, and a U.S. Senate election. The state certified the returns on December 6, 2012. Primary elections were held August 7, 2012.
The 2016 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Republican nominee Donald Trump defeated Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, while Republicans retained control of Congress. This marked the first and most recent time Republicans won or held unified control of the presidency and Congress since 2004.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 to elect the ten U.S. representatives from the state of Washington, one from each of the state's 10 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, other elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The state certified the results on December 4. The nonpartisan blanket primary election was held on August 5, with the top two candidates for each position advancing to the general election.
The 2016 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Maryland took place on November 6, 2018, in order to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Maryland. It was held concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ben Cardin was re-elected to a third and ultimately final term by a landslide margin of almost 35 points.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Washington took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Washington. Incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell won election to a fourth term over television news journalist Susan Hutchison.
The 1926 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 2, 1926. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Wesley Livsey Jones was re-elected to a fourth term in office over Seattle attorney A. Scott Bullitt.
General elections were held in the U.S. state of Washington on November 3, 2020. A primary was held on August 4. 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. As of 2023, this was the last time Republicans won any statewide election in Washington.
The 2000 House elections in Washington occurred on November 7, 2000, to elect the members of the State of Washington's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Washington has nine seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1990 United States census. This election saw the Democrats flip one Republican-held open seat. These elections occurred alongside Al Gore's victory in the state over George W. Bush in the presidential election.
The 2022 Indiana Senate election took place on Tuesday November 8, 2022 with elections in the U.S. state of Indiana, coinciding with other elections in the state, U.S. House, and Indiana House, as well as various other state and local elections. Voters will elect members to 25 of the 50 seats in the Indiana Senate to serve four-year terms in single-member constituencies. The primary election took place on Tuesday May 3, 2022. The Republican Party has held a majority since 2011.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the ten U.S. representatives from the State of Washington, one from each of the state's congressional districts. The elections will coincide with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.
