2016 Washington elections

2016 Washington Statewide Executive Office elections

←  2012 November 8, 2016 (2016-11-08) 2020  →
All 9 statewide executive offices
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 8 1 Seats won 7 2 Seat change 1 1 Percentage 53.67% 42.42% Swing 4.75% 0.89%

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Washington on November 8, 2016. The primary was held on August 2. ^[1]

At the time of the filing deadline of May 20, 2016, 682 candidates had filed for 345 offices statewide. ^{[1] [2]}

Federal

President of the United States

Main article: 2016 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

See also: 2016 United States presidential election

Washington had 12 electoral votes for the presidential election, which were awarded to Hillary Clinton. ^[3]

Statewide party caucuses and primaries were held in the spring of 2016 to determine the allocation of state delegates to the respective Democratic and Republican party national conventions. Bernie Sanders won the Democratic caucus in March, defeating Hillary Clinton and taking 73 percent of delegates; ^[4] Donald Trump won the Republican primary, taking 76 percent of delegates. A non-binding primary for the Democratic party held in May resulted in a victory for Hillary Clinton. ^{[5] [6]}

United States House of Representatives

Main article: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington

See also: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections

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 Jim McDermott (D) of the 7th district. ^[7] McDermott's seat was won by Pramila Jayapal (D). ^[8] The remaining seats were retained by the incumbents. ^[3]

United States Senate

Main article: 2016 United States Senate election in Washington

See also: 2016 United States Senate elections

Incumbent Democratic senior Senator Patty Murray ran for re-election to a fifth term in office, ^[9] defeating Republican challenger Chris Vance by 18 points. ^[10]

United States Senate election in Washington, 2016 ^{[11] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Patty Murray (incumbent)	745,421	53.8
	Republican	Chris Vance	381,004	27.5
	Republican	Eric John Makus	57,825	4.2
	Democratic	Phil Cornell	46,460	3.4
	Republican	Scott Nazarino	41,542	3.0
	Libertarian	Mike Luke	20,988	1.5
	Democratic	Mohammad Said	13,362	1.0
	Independent	Donna Rae Lands	11,472	0.8
	Independent	Ted Cummings	11,028	0.8
	Independent	Sam Wright	10,751	0.8
	Republican	Uncle Mover	8,569	0.6
	Independent	Jeremy Teuton	7,991	0.6
	Democratic	Thor Amundson	7,906	0.6
	Independent	Chuck Jackson	6,318	0.5
	Independent	Pano Churchill	5,150	0.4
	Independent	Zach Haller	5,092	0.4
	Independent	Alex Tsimerman	4,117	0.3
Total votes			1,384,996	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Patty Murray (incumbent)	1,913,979	59.0
	Republican	Chris Vance	1,329,338	41.0
Total votes			3,243,317	100.0
	Democratic hold

Statewide

Governor

Main article: 2016 Washington gubernatorial election

Incumbent Governor Jay Inslee was re-elected to his second term over Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant. ^{[13] [14]}

Washington gubernatorial election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jay Inslee (incumbent)	687,412	49.3
	Republican	Bill Bryant	534,519	38.3
	Republican	Bill Hirt	48,382	3.5
	Democratic	Patrick O'Rourke	40,572	2.9
	Independent	Steve Rubenstein	22,582	1.6
	Democratic	James Robert Deal	14,623	1.1
	Democratic	Johnathan Dodds	14,152	1.0
	Republican	Goodspaceguy	13,191	0.9
	Socialist Workers	Mary Martin	10,374	0.7
	Independent	David Blomstrom	4,512	0.3
	Independent	Christian Joubert	4,103	0.3
Total votes			1,394,422	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Jay Inslee (incumbent)	1,760,520	54.2
	Republican	Bill Bryant	1,476,346	45.5
	Write-in		8,416	0.3
Total votes			3,245,282	100.0
	Democratic hold

Lieutenant governor

2016 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election

←  2012 November 8, 2016 2020  →

Nominee Cyrus Habib Marty McClendon Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,698,297 1,424,277 Percentage 54.4% 45.6%

County results Congressional district results Habib:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% McClendon:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Lieutenant Governor of Washington before election Brad Owen Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor of Washington Cyrus Habib Democratic

Incumbent lieutenant governor Brad Owen, first elected to the office in 1996, announced that he would not seek a sixth term. ^{[16] [17]}

Four Democrats (three of whom were state senators), four Republicans, two third-party candidates, and one independent competed in the primary election. Marty McClendon (R) and Cyrus Habib (D) finished as top two and advanced to the general election, which Habib won by 9 points. ^[18]

Polling

General election

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Cyrus Habib (D)	Marty McClendon (R)	Undecided
Elway Poll [19]	October 20–22, 2016	502 (RV)	± 4.5%	38%	37%	25%
Elway Poll [20]	August 9–13, 2016	500 (RV)	± 4.5%	38%	33%	29%

Blanket primary results by county

  Habib

•   20–30%
•   30–40%

  McClendon

•   20–30%
•   30–40%
•   40–50%

  Fraser

•   30–40%

  Hobbs

•   20–30%

Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Cyrus Habib	294,641	22.3
	Republican	Marty McClendon	253,714	19.2
	Democratic	Karen Fraser	207,271	15.7
	Democratic	Steve Hobbs	202,427	15.3
	Republican	Phillip Yin	141,680	10.7
	Democratic	Karen Wallace	59,175	4.5
	Republican	Javier Figueroa	56,214	4.2
	Republican	Bill Penor	52,986	4.0
	Libertarian	Paul Addis	26,304	2.0
	Independent	Daniel Davies	16,491	1.3
	Independent	Mark Greene	12,692	1.0
Total votes			1,323,595	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Cyrus Habib	1,698,297	54.4
	Republican	Marty McClendon	1,424,277	45.6
Total votes			3,122,574	100.0
	Democratic hold

Attorney general

Main article: 2016 Washington Attorney General election

Incumbent attorney general Bob Ferguson, elected in 2012 as a Democrat, sought reelection, opposed by Joshua B. Trumbull, who ran as a Libertarian. ^[1]

Washington Attorney General election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bob Ferguson (incumbent)	906,493	72.6
	Libertarian	Joshua Trumbull	341,932	27.4
Total votes			1,248,425	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Bob Ferguson (incumbent)	2,000,804	67.1
	Libertarian	Joshua Trumbull	979,105	32.9
Total votes			2,979,909	100.0
	Democratic hold

Secretary of State

Main article: 2016 Washington Secretary of State election

Incumbent Secretary of State Kim Wyman, elected in 2012 as the only Republican to hold a statewide office on the West Coast, sought reelection. ^[21] Former Seattle City Councilmember Tina Podlodowski announced her bid in January 2016, seeking to become the first Democrat to hold the office since 1965. ^[22] Wyman retained her seat with 55% of the vote. ^[23]

Washington Secretary of State election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kim Wyman (incumbent)	645,614	47.9
	Democratic	Tina Podlodowski	621,732	46.1
	Libertarian	Tim Turner	80,570	6.0
Total votes			1,347,916	100.0
General election
	Republican	Kim Wyman (incumbent)	1,713,004	54.7
	Democratic	Tina Podlodowski	1,416,299	45.3
Total votes			3,129,303	100.0
	Republican hold

State Auditor

Main article: 2016 Washington State Auditor election

Incumbent state auditor Troy Kelley, elected as a Democrat in 2012, did not file to run for a second term. ^[24]

Democratic Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy defeated Republican state Senator Mark Miloscia to succeed Kelley. ^[25]

Washington State Auditor election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Miloscia	481,910	36.7
	Democratic	Pat McCarthy	381,828	29.1
	Democratic	Jeff Sprung	314,290	23.9
	Independent	Mark Wilson	96,972	7.4
	Independent	David Golden	37,727	2.9
Total votes			1,312,727	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Pat McCarthy	1,597,011	52.3
	Republican	Mark Miloscia	1,455,771	47.7
Total votes			3,052,782	100.0
	Democratic hold

State Treasurer

Main article: 2016 Washington State Treasurer election

Incumbent James McIntire announced on December 16, 2015, that he would not seek a third term as Washington State Treasurer. ^[26] Benton County Treasurer Duane Davidson was elected to succeed him. ^[27]

Washington State Treasurer election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Duane Davidson	322,374	25.1
	Republican	Michael Waite	299,766	23.3
	Democratic	Marko Liias	261,633	20.4
	Democratic	John Paul Comerford	230,904	18.0
	Democratic	Alec Fisken	170,117	13.2
Total votes			1,284,794	100.0
General election
	Republican	Duane Davidson	1,576,580	58.1
	Republican	Michael Waite	1,134,843	41.9
Total votes			2,711,423	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic

Public Lands Commissioner

Main article: 2016 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election

Incumbent Public Lands Commissioner Peter J. Goldmark, elected in 2008 and reelected in 2012, announced his intention to not seek a third term in office. ^[28]

Democrat Hilary Franz was elected, defeating Republican Steve McLaughlin with 53% of the vote. ^[29]

Washington Public Lands Commissioner election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Steve McLaughlin	494,416	37.9
	Democratic	Hilary Franz	297,074	22.8
	Democratic	Dave Upthegrove	183,976	14.1
	Democratic	Mary Verner	159,564	12.2
	Libertarian	Steven Nielson	63,056	4.8
	Democratic	Karen Porterfield	61,710	4.7
	Democratic	John Stillings	43,129	3.3
Total votes			1,302,925	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Hilary Franz	1,630,369	53.2
	Republican	Steve McLaughlin	1,436,817	46.8
Total votes			3,067,186	100.0
	Democratic hold

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Main article: 2016 Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election

Incumbent Randy Dorn declined to run for a third term as Superintendent of Public Instruction. ^[30] Nine candidates ran in the nonpartisan election. Erin Jones and Chris Reykdal finished as top two and advanced to the general election. In a close race, Reykdal edged out Jones by one point. ^[31] Jones conceded the election on November 22. ^[32]

Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Erin Jones	295,330	25.8
	Nonpartisan	Chris Reykdal	240,194	21.0
	Nonpartisan	Ron Higgins	190,886	16.7
	Nonpartisan	Robin Fleming	154,991	13.5
	Nonpartisan	David Spring	97,702	8.5
	Nonpartisan	John Patterson Blair	64,064	5.6
	Nonpartisan	KumRoon Maksirisombat	43,491	3.8
	Nonpartisan	Al Runte	37,386	3.3
	Nonpartisan	Grazyna Prouty	22,265	1.9
Total votes			1,146,309	100.0
General election
	Nonpartisan	Chris Reykdal	1,337,547	50.5
	Nonpartisan	Erin Jones	1,309,896	49.5
Total votes			2,647,443	100.0
	Democratic hold

Insurance Commissioner

Main article: 2016 Washington Insurance Commissioner election

Mike Kreidler was reelected to his fifth term.

Washington Insurance Commissioner election, 2016 ^{[15] [12]}

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Kreidler (incumbent)	772,569	58.4
	Republican	Richard Schrock	450,830	34.1
	Libertarian	Justin Murta	99,181	7.5
Total votes			1,322,580	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Mike Kreidler (incumbent)	1,763,134	58.3
	Republican	Richard Schrock	1,258,827	41.7
Total votes			3,021,961	100.0
	Democratic hold

Legislative

State Senate

Main article: Washington State Senate election, 2016

Twenty-five of the forty-nine seats in the Washington State Senate were up for election. Republicans held a narrow majority in the Senate, taking 26 seats compared to 23 for the Democrats. ^[1] Seven incumbent senators retired, creating vacancies that had the potential to swing the split of party votes. ^[33] A Democrat defeated the Republican incumbent in District 41, leaving Republicans with a one-seat majority.

State House of Representatives

Main article: Washington House of Representatives election, 2016

All 98 seats in the Washington House of Representatives were up for election. The outgoing House had a narrow Democratic majority, with 50 seats compared to the Republicans' 48. ^[1] Both parties picked up seats from the other party, resulting in the same overall composition.

Ballot measures

• Washington Initiative 732 proposed a revenue-neutral carbon tax to fight global warming. The measure would have imposed a fee on carbon dioxide emissions within the state, decreased the state's sales tax and business tax, and expanded the state's version of the earned income tax credit. It was rejected by voters on November 8. ^[34]
• Voters approved a minimum wage increase by a 57% vote. The initiative calls for increasing the state's minimum wage to $13.50 an hour by 2020 from $9.47. ^[35]
• Voters approved Sound Transit 3, building 62 Miles of Light Rail. ^[36]
• Voters approved a firearms access ballot measure; the initiative calls for allowing courts to issue “extreme risk protection orders” to temporarily prevent people from owning or obtaining firearms if there is a risk of harm to themselves or others. ^[37]
• Voters repealed a dental insurance tax. ^[38]
• Voters repealed Advisory Vote 15 for alternative fuel vehicles. ^[39]
• Voters rejected a campaign finance initiative, Initiative 1464. ^[40]
• Voters approved a measure to increase fines for fraud. ^[41]
• Voters voted against an effort to create a carbon emissions tax. ^[42]
• Voters approved an initiative to denounce Citizen's United. ^[43]
• Voters approved a redistricting deadline. ^[44]

Initiative 1433 Results by county

Yes:

•   60–70%
•   50–60%

No:

•   60–70%
•   50–60%

Initiative 1491 Results by county

Yes:

•   80–90%
•   70–80%
•   60–70%
•   50–60%

No:

•   50–60%

Advisory Vote 14 Results by county

No:

•   80–90%
•   70–80%
•   60–70%
•   50–60%

Advisory Vote 15 Results by county

No:

•   80–90%
•   70–80%
•   60–70%
•   50–60%

Yes:

•   50–60%

Initiative 1464 Results by county

No:

•   70–80%
•   60–70%
•   50–60%

Yes:

•   50–60%

Initiative 1501 Results by county

Yes:

•   70–80%
•   60–70%
•   50–60%

Initiative 732 Results by county

No:

•   80–90%
•   70–80%
•   60–70%
•   50–60%

Yes:

•   50–60%

Initiative 735 Results by county

Yes:

•   70–80%
•   60–70%
•   50–60%

No:

•   50–60%

Initiative 8210 Results by county

Yes:

•   80–90%
•   70–80%
•   60–70%

Local elections

• John Blom defeated Tanisha L. Harris for Clark City Council District 3. ^[45]
• Eileen Quiring defeated Roman Battan for Clark City Council District 4. ^[45]
• Nancy Barnes defeated Mike Lyons for Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County Commissioner in District No. 2. ^[45]
• City of Vancouver Proposition No. 1 was approved. ^[45]
• City of Woodland Transportation Benefit District Proposition No. 1 was approved. ^[45]
• Battle Ground School District No. 119 Proposition No. 1 was approved. ^[45]

See also

• Elections in Washington (state)

References

1. O'Sullivan, Joseph (May 20, 2016). "More than Trump: Candidate field gets set for Washington voters". The Seattle Times . Retrieved May 30, 2016.
2. "2016 Candidates Who Have Filed". Washington Secretary of State . Retrieved May 30, 2016.
3. "Washington Election Results 2016". The New York Times . November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
4. "Bernie Sanders wins big in Washington caucuses". The Seattle Times. March 26, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
5. "Trump wins Washington state's presidential primaries". CBS News . Associated Press. May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
6. "Washington State Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
7. Brunner, Jim (January 4, 2016). "Jim McDermott to retire; many consider a run, even another McDermott". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
8. "Washington U.S. House 7th District Results: Pramila Jayapal Wins". The New York Times. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
9. Brunner, Jim (February 9, 2014). "Patty Murray to seek fifth Senate term in 2016". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
10. "Washington U.S. Senate Results: Patty Murray Wins". The New York Times. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
11. "August 2, 2016 Primary Results - U.S. Senator". Washington Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
12. "2016 General Data". sos.wa.gov. Archived from the original on March 15, 2025.
13. Brunner, Jim (May 14, 2015). "Port Commissioner Bill Bryant announces run for governor". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
14. "Washington Governor Results: Jay Inslee Wins". The New York Times. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
15. "August 2, 2016 Primary Results". Washington Secretary of State.
16. O'Sullivan, Joseph (March 8, 2016). "Brad Owen won't seek re-election as lieutenant governor". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
17. "Lt. Governor Owen announces he will retire when his fifth term ends" (Press release). Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Washington. March 8, 2016. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
18. "Washington Lieutenant Governor Results: Cyrus Habib Wins". The New York Times. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
19. Elway Poll
20. Elway Poll
21. Connelly, Joel (April 21, 2016). "GOP 'rising star,' Secretary of State Kim Wyman, plans $1 million campaign". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Retrieved May 30, 2016.
22. Brunner, Jim (January 13, 2016). "Tina Podlodowski to challenge Secretary of State Kim Wyman". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
23. "Washington Secretary of State Results: Kim Wyman Wins". The New York Times. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
24. Santos, Melissa (May 20, 2016). "After Troy Kelley trial, a battle for who will take over State Auditor's Office". Tacoma News-Tribune . Retrieved May 30, 2016.
25. "Washington Auditor Results: Pat McCarthy Wins". The New York Times. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
26. Santos, Melissa (December 16, 2015). "State Treasurer Jim McIntire won't seek re-election". Tacoma News Tribune. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
27. "Washington State Treasurer History" . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
28. Bernton, Hal (April 5, 2016). "State lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark won't run for re-election". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
29. "Washington Lands Commissioner Results: Hilary Franz Wins". The New York Times. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
30. "State schools chief Dorn won't run for third term in 2016". Seattle Times. October 22, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
31. Lorch, Matt (November 29, 2016). "Chris Reykdal to be state's top educator, now the tough work begins (VIDEO)". Q13 Fox . Retrieved December 1, 2016.
32. Santos, Melissa (November 23, 2016). "Erin Jones concedes schools chief race to Chris Reykdal". The News Tribune . Retrieved December 1, 2016.
33. O'Sullivan, Joseph (May 29, 2016). "Handful of races could flip political control of Legislature". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
34. "Washington Initiative 732 — Create Carbon Emission Tax — Results: Rejected". The New York Times. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
35. "Washington Initiative 1433 — Increase Minimum Wage — Results: Approved". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
36. "Washington Proposition 1 — Sound Transit 3 Builds 62 Miles of Light Rail — Results: Approved". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
37. "Washington Initiative 1491 — Firearms Access — Results: Approved". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
38. "Washington Advisory Vote 14 — Dental Insurance Tax — Results: Rejected". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
39. "Washington Advisory Vote 15 — Alternative-Fuel Vehicles — Results: Rejected". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
40. "Washington Initiative 1464 — Campaign Finance — Results: Rejected". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
41. "Washington Initiative 1501 — Increase Fines For Fraud — Results: Approved". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
42. "Washington Initiative 732 — Create Carbon Emission Tax — Results: Rejected". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
43. "Washington Initiative 735 — Oppose Citizens United — Results: Approved". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
44. "Washington Initiative 8210 — Redistricting Deadline — Results: Approved". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
45. "General and Special Election — Clark County, Washington — November 08, 2016" (PDF).

External links

• Elections & Voting at the Washington Secretary of State
• Washington at Ballotpedia