2012 United States Senate election in Washington

2012 United States Senate election in Washington

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Turnout	64.1% (voting eligible) [1]
Nominee Maria Cantwell Michael Baumgartner Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,855,493 1,213,924 Percentage 60.45% 39.55%
County results Congressional district results Precinct results Cantwell:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Baumgartner:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Tie:      50%     No votes
U.S. senator before election Maria Cantwell Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell Democratic

The 2012 United States Senate election in Washington took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell won re-election to a third term by a significant margin, outperforming President Barack Obama's margin in the concurrent presidential election by 6%.

Background

Maria Cantwell won re-election to serve a second term with 56.81% of the vote against Mike McGavick in the 2006 Washingtonian U.S. senatorial election.

Top-two primary election

Candidates

Democratic

• Maria Cantwell, incumbent U.S. Senator ^[2]
• Timothy Wilson ^[3]

Republican

• Michael Baumgartner, state senator ^[4]
• Art Coday, physician ^[5]
• Chuck Jackson, merchant mariner ^{[6] [7]}
• Mike the Mover, perennial candidate ^[6]
• Glen R. Stockwell, president of Washington State Economic Development Corporation ^{[6] [8]}

Declined

• Bill Bryant, Port of Seattle Commission President ^[9]
• Clint Didier, former NFL football player (endorsed Coday) ^[10]
• Doc Hastings, U.S. Representative ^[11]
• Jaime Herrera Beutler, U.S. Representative ^[12]
• John Koster, Snohomish County Councilman and candidate for the 2nd congressional district in 2010 (running for the U.S. House) ^[13]
• Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. Representative ^[14]
• Dave Reichert, U.S. Representative ^[15]
• Phillip Yin, Hong Kong–based anchor for Bloomberg Television ^[16]

Others

• Will Baker (Reform Party) ^[6]

Results

Results by county:

  Cantwell

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%

  Baumgartner

•   40–50%
•   50–60%

Blanket primary results ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Maria Cantwell (incumbent)	772,058	55.66
	Republican	Michael Baumgartner	417,141	30.07
	Republican	Art Coday	79,727	5.75
	Democratic	Timothy Wilson	31,817	2.29
	Republican	Chuck Jackson	25,983	1.87
	Republican	Glenn R. Stockwell	25,793	1.86
	Republican	Mike the Mover	19,535	1.41
	Reform	Will Baker	15,005	1.08
Total votes			1,387,059	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Michael Baumgartner (Republican), state senator
• Maria Cantwell (Democratic), incumbent U.S. Senator

Debates

• Complete video of debate, October 12, 2012 - C-SPAN

Fundraising

Candidate (party)	Receipts	Disbursements	Cash on hand	Debt
Maria Cantwell (D)	$8,032,254	$6,355,260	$2,176,258	$2,171,350
Michael Baumgartner (R)	$689,690	$422,428	$181,841	$45,689
Source: Federal Election Commission [18] [19]

Top contributors

^[20]

Maria Cantwell	Contribution	Michael Baumgartner	Contribution
Microsoft Corp	$83,982	Anderson Hay & Grain	$5,000
EMILY's List	$77,900	Columbia Management Systems, By Lar	$5,000
Morgan & Morgan	$40,000	Ignition Partners	$5,000
League of Conservation Voters	$39,900	Kvc Development Co	$5,000
University of Washington	$35,900	Acorn Campus Ventures	$4,000
K&L Gates	$35,048	Legacy LLC	$3,523
Boeing Co.	$30,625	Inland Empire Paper	$3,750
Intellectual Ventures LLC	$27,250	Savers Inc	$3,523
McBee Strategic Consulting	$26,650	Red Lion Hotels	$3,500
Second Avenue Partners	$24,500	National Cotton Council	$3,300

Top industries

^[21]

Maria Cantwell	Contribution	Michael Baumgartner	Contribution
Lawyers/law firms	$696,936	Retired	$45,756
Retired	$621,231	Financial institutions	$10,000
Lobbyists	$539,418	Financial institutions	$310,487
Financial institutions	$310,487	Agribusiness	$9,550
Computers/Internet	$206,970	Health professionals	$6,150
Real estate	$179,169	Misc. finance	$4,250
Health professionals	$169,937	Mining	$4,25
Business services	$167,629	Timber/forest products	$3,750
Casinos/gambling	$165,850	General contractors	$3,000
Entertainment industry	$136,457	Real estate	$2,950

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [22]	Solid D	November 1, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball [23]	Safe D	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg Political Report [24]	Safe D	November 2, 2012
Real Clear Politics [25]	Likely D	November 5, 2012

Endorsements

Maria Cantwell (D)

State legislators

• Dale Foreman, former majority leader of the Washington House of Representatives and former chair of the Washington State Republican Party (Republican) ^[26]

Newspapers

• The Seattle Times ^[27]

Polling

Aggregate polls

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Maria Cantwell (D)	Michael Baumgartner (R)	Other/Undecided [a]	Margin
Real Clear Politics [28]	October 14 – November 3, 2012	November 3, 2012	56.7%	36.3%	7.0%	Cantwell +20.4%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Maria Cantwell (D)	Michael Baumgartner (R)	Other	Undecided
Survey USA [29]	November 21–23, 2011	549	±4.3%	51%	39%	—	10%
Survey USA [30]	January 12–16, 2012	617	±4.0%	50%	41%	—	8%
Public Policy Polling [31]	February 16–19, 2012	1,264	±2.76%	51%	36%	—	13%
Public Policy Polling [32]	June 14–17, 2012	1,073	±3.0%	51%	35%	—	14%
Survey USA [33]	July 16–17, 2012	630	±4.0%	51%	40%	—	9%
Survey USA [34]	September 7–9, 2012	524	±4.4%	54%	38%	—	8%
Rasmussen Reports [35]	September 26, 2012	500	±4.5%	57%	37%	1%	5%
SurveyUSA [36]	September 28–30, 2012	540	±4.3%	53%	40%	—	6%
The Washington Poll [37]	October 1–16, 2012	782	±3.5%	58%	35%	—	7%
Rasmussen Reports [35]	October 14, 2012	500	±4.5%	52%	37%	1%	9%
KCTS 9/Washington Poll [38]	October 18–31, 2012	632	±3.9%	61%	33%	—	6%
Public Policy Polling [39]	November 1–3, 2012	932	±3.2%	57%	39%	—	4%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Maria Cantwell (D)	Bill Bryant (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling [31]	February 16–19, 2012	1,264	±2.76%	50%	36%	—	14%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Maria Cantwell (D)	Cathy M. Rodgers (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling [40]	July 27 – August 1, 2010	1,204	±2.8%	49%	37%	—	13%
Public Policy Polling [41]	May 12–15, 2011	1,098	±3.0%	50%	31%	—	19%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Maria Cantwell (D)	Dave Reichert (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling [40]	July 27 – August 1, 2010	1,204	±2.8%	47%	41%	—	12%
Public Policy Polling [41]	May 12–15, 2011	1,098	±3.0%	49%	35%	—	16%
Survey USA [29]	November 21–23, 2011	549	±4.3%	48%	41%	—	10%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Maria Cantwell (D)	Clint Didier (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling [41]	May 12–15, 2011	1,098	±3.0%	51%	35%	—	13%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Maria Cantwell (D)	Susan Hutchison (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling [41]	May 12–15, 2011	1,098	±3.0%	49%	35%	—	16%
Survey USA [29]	November 21–23, 2011	549	±4.3%	49%	38%	—	13%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Maria Cantwell (D)	Dino Rossi (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling [41]	May 12–15, 2011	1,098	±3.0%	53%	40%	—	8%
Public Policy Polling [31]	February 16–19, 2012	1,264	±2.76%	53%	41%	—	7%

Results

2012 United States Senate election in Washington ^[42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Maria Cantwell (incumbent)	1,855,493	60.45%	+3.64%
	Republican	Michael Baumgartner	1,213,924	39.55%	−0.36%
Total votes			3,069,417	100.00%	N/A
	Democratic hold

By county

By county

County [43] Maria Cantwell Democratic Michael Baumgartner Republican Margin Total % # % # % # Adams 39.29% 1,859 60.71% 2,872 –21.41% –1,013 4,731 Asotin 46.77% 4,563 53.23% 5,193 –6.46% –630 9,756 Benton 42.69% 33,391 57.31% 44,828 –14.62% –11,437 78,219 Chelan 46.98% 14,892 53.02% 16,808 –6.04% –1,916 31,700 Clallam 53.89% 20,252 46.11% 17,331 7.77% 2,921 37,583 Clark 53.05% 98,457 46.95% 87,150 6.09% 11,307 185,607 Columbia 36.97% 827 63.03% 1,410 –26.06% –583 2,237 Cowlitz 56.42% 24,820 43.58% 19,170 12.89% 5,670 43,990 Douglas 42.09% 6,228 57.91% 8,570 –15.83% –2,342 14,798 Ferry 43.67% 1,494 56.33% 1,927 –12.66% –433 3,421 Franklin 43.11% 9,689 56.89% 12,786 –13.78% –3,097 22,475 Garfield 36.39% 453 63.61% 792 –27.23% –339 1,245 Grant 38.72% 10,621 61.28% 16,811 –22.56% –6,190 27,432 Grays Harbor 61.45% 17,491 38.55% 10,971 22.91% 6,520 28,462 Island 55.48% 23,024 44.52% 18,475 10.96% 4,549 41,499 Jefferson 68.78% 13,471 31.22% 6,114 37.56% 7,357 19,585 King 72.27% 683,067 27.73% 262,034 44.55% 421,033 945,101 Kitsap 58.95% 71,656 41.05% 49,890 17.91% 21,766 121,546 Kittitas 49.22% 8,746 50.78% 9,023 –1.56% –277 17,769 Klickitat 50.62% 5,115 49.38% 4,990 1.24% 125 10,105 Lewis 43.01% 14,445 56.99% 19,139 –13.98% –4,694 33,584 Lincoln 37.12% 2,157 62.88% 3,654 –25.76% –1,497 5,811 Mason 57.47% 16,057 42.53% 11,885 14.93% 4,172 27,942 Okanogan 47.84% 7,963 52.16% 8,683 –4.33% –720 16,646 Pacific 60.86% 6,323 39.14% 4,067 21.71% 2,256 10,390 Pend Oreille 43.20% 2,867 56.80% 3,769 –13.59% –902 6,636 Pierce 59.76% 201,827 40.24% 135,888 19.53% 65,939 337,715 San Juan 70.37% 7,351 29.63% 3,095 40.74% 4,256 10,446 Skagit 56.17% 30,635 43.83% 23,900 12.35% 6,735 54,535 Skamania 53.13% 2,823 46.87% 2,490 6.27% 333 5,313 Snohomish 60.50% 196,534 39.50% 128,322 21.00% 68,212 324,856 Spokane 49.92% 110,033 50.08% 110,372 –0.15% –339 220,405 Stevens 39.21% 8,671 60.79% 13,441 –21.57% –4,770 22,112 Thurston 62.82% 78,468 37.18% 46,449 25.63% 32,019 124,917 Wahkiakum 55.32% 1,253 44.68% 1,012 10.64% 241 2,265 Walla Walla 46.45% 11,464 53.55% 13,217 –7.10% –1,753 24,681 Whatcom 59.49% 59,938 40.51% 40,818 18.98% 19,120 100,756 Whitman 49.77% 8,384 50.23% 8,463 –0.47% –79 16,847 Yakima 50.05% 38,184 49.95% 38,115 0.09% 69 76,299 Total 60.45% 1,855,493 39.55% 1,213,924 20.90% 641,569 3,069,417 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Yakima (largest city: Yakima) Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Asotin (largest city: Clarkston) Spokane (largest city: Spokane) Whitman (largest city: Pullman)

By congressional district

Cantwell won eight of ten congressional districts, including two that elected Republicans. ^[44]

District	Cantwell	Baumgartner	Representative
1st	57%	43%	Suzan DelBene
2nd	63%	37%	Rick Larsen
3rd	53%	47%	Jaime Herrera Beutler
4th	45%	55%	Doc Hastings
5th	48%	52%	Cathy McMorris Rodgers
6th	61%	39%	Derek Kilmer
7th	82%	18%	Jim McDermott
8th	55%	45%	Dave Reichert
9th	72%	28%	Adam Smith
10th	61%	39%	Denny Heck

See also

• 2012 United States Senate elections
• 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
• 2012 United States presidential election in Washington
• 2012 Washington gubernatorial election

Notes

1. Calculated by taking the difference of 100% and all other candidates combined.

References

1. Dr. Michael McDonald (February 9, 2013). "2012 General Election Turnout Rates". George Mason University. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
2. Blumenthal, Les (November 21, 2010). "Washington state's Cantwell not looking ahead to 2012 -- yet". McClatchy Newspapers . Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
3. "timwilsonforsenate.org - timwilsonforsenate Resources and Information". Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
4. "Makupfront: Up Front With Robert Mak". Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
5. Camden, Jim (January 30, 2012). "U.S. Senate race: Cantwell has $4 million in bank". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved February 24, 2012.
6. "2012 Candidates Appearing in the Primary". Secretary of State of Washington . Retrieved August 1, 2012.
7. "Candidate Statement". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
8. "Corporation Registration Detail". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
9. Myrick, Bryan (March 12, 2012). "Port Commission President Bill Bryant Will Not Challenge Cantwell for U.S. Senate". NW Daily Marker.
10. "Endorsements - Art Coday for US Senate, Washington 2012". Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
11. Faulk, Mike (February 24, 2012). "Doc Hastings rules out reform". Yakima Herald-Republic . Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
12. Mathieu, Stevie (January 16, 2012). "Congresswoman talks town halls, confirms re-election bid". The Columbian . Retrieved February 24, 2012.
13. "John Koster officially files to unseat Rep. Rick Larsen | Politics | Everett News". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
14. Camden, Jim; Brunt, Jonathan (March 17, 2011). "McMorris Rodgers starting 2012 campaign". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved February 24, 2012.
15. Brunner, Jim (February 2, 2012). "Reichert won't challenge Cantwell for U.S. Senate seat". The Seattle Times.
16. Mak, Robert (October 26, 2011). "GOP Senate hopeful drops out of race". KING 5 News . Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
17. Reed, Sam (August 7, 2012). "U.S. Senator". Secretary of State of Washington . Archived from the original on October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
18. Maria Cantwell Campaign Finances
19. Michael Baumgartner Campaign Finances
20. [http://www.opensecrets.org/races/contrib.php?cycle=2012&id=WAS1 OpenSecrets
21. Donors by Industry (opensecrets.org)
22. "2012 Senate Race Ratings for November 1, 2012". The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
23. "2012 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
24. "2012 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
25. "2012 Elections Map - Battle for the Senate 2012". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
26. "Extra Jolt: Longtime Republican Leader Endorses Cantwell over Baumgartner".
27. Editorial Board, The Seattle Times (October 19, 2012). "The Times recommends returning Democrat Maria Cantwell to the U.S. Senate". The Seattle Times . Retrieved October 22, 2025.
28. Real Clear Politics
29. Survey USA
30. Survey USA
31. Public Policy Polling
32. Public Policy Polling
33. Survey USA
34. Survey USA
35. Rasmussen Reports
36. SurveyUSA
37. The Washington Poll
38. KCTS 9/Washington Poll
39. Public Policy Polling
40. Public Policy Polling
41. Public Policy Polling
42. Reed, Sam (November 6, 2012). "U.S. Senator". Secretary of State of Washington . Archived from the original on September 8, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
43. Reed, Sam (November 6, 2012). "U.S. Senator - County Results". Secretary of State of Washington . Archived from the original on January 13, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
44. "2012 General Data". sos.wa.gov. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024.

External links

• Elections & Voting at the Washington Secretary of State office
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Outside spending at Sunlight Foundation
• Candidate issue positions at On the Issues

Official campaign websites (archived)

• Maria Cantwell
• Michael Baumgartner
• Art Coday