2026 Washington State Senate election

Last updated

Washington State Senate elections, 2026
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November 3, 2026
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24 of 49 seats in the Washington State Senate
25 seats needed for a majority
  Jamie Pedersen (cropped).jpg JohnBraun.png
Leader Jamie Pedersen John Braun
Party Democratic Republican
Leader's seat 43rd–Seattle 20th–Centralia
Current seats3019
Seats neededSteady2.svgIncrease2.svg 6
Incumbent Majority Leader

Jamie Pedersen
Democratic



The 2026 Washington State Senate election will be held on November 3, 2026, alongside the other 2026 United States elections. [1] Voters will elect 24 of the 49 the members of the Washington State Senate in the U.S. state of Washington's legislative districts to serve a four-year term. [2]

Contents

This will be the first electoral cycle for this cohort of State Senators using the new legislative district boundaries after the court ordered redistricting in 2024. The redistricting was triggered when U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Washington Robert Lasnik ruled that the 15th District as it was drawn in 2022 was in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. [3] The seats up for election in the State Senate in 2026 that had boundary changes due to this redistricting are District 7, District 8, District 13, District 15, and District 31. [4]

Partisan Background

Of the State Senate seats that are up for election in 2026, only the 35th District is held by a Republican in a legislative district that Kamala Harris won in 2024. In addition, of the districts with a Senator up for election in 2026, only the 26th District has a member of the State House from the same district who is of a different party than the incumbent State Senator.

All other districts are represented by the party whose presidential nominee carried the district in 2024 and are of the same political party as both members of the State House from their district.

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Outgoing incumbents

Retirements

  1. District 8: Matt Boehnke (R) is retiring to run for Congress. [5]
  2. District 29: Steve Conway (D) is retiring. [6]
  3. District 37: Rebecca Saldaña (D) is retiring to run for the King County Council. [7]
  4. District 42: Sharon Shewmake (D) is retiring. [8]

Incumbents Running in a New District

  1. District 15: Nikki Torres (R) is running in the 8th District. [5]

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
Sabato's Crystal Ball [9] Safe DJanuary 22, 2026

Summary of results by district

DistrictIncumbentPartyElected SenatorOutcome
6th Jeff Holy Rep TBD
7th Shelly Short Rep TBD
8th Matt Boehnke † Rep TBD
13th Judy Warnick Rep TBD
15th Nikki Torres † Rep TBD
21st Marko Liias Dem TBD
26th Deborah Krishnadasan Dem TBD
29th Steve Conway † Dem TBD
30th Claire Wilson Dem TBD
31st Phil Fortunato Rep TBD
32nd Jesse Salomon Dem TBD
33rd Tina Orwall Dem TBD
34th Emily Alvarado Dem TBD
35th Drew MacEwen Rep TBD
36th Noel Frame Dem TBD
37th Rebecca Saldaña † Dem TBD
38th June Robinson Dem TBD
42nd Sharon Shewmake † Dem TBD
43rd Jamie Pedersen Dem TBD
44th John Lovick Dem TBD
45th Manka Dhingra Dem TBD
46th Javier Valdez Dem TBD
47th Claudia Kauffman Dem TBD
48th Vandana Slatter Dem TBD

List of districts

District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 13 • District 15 • District 21 • District 26 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35 • District 36 • District 37 • District 38 • District 42 • District 43 • District 44 • District 45 • District 46 • District 47 • District 48

District 6

The 6th district is represented by Republican Jeff Holy, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 7

The 7th district is represented by Republican Shelly Short, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 8

The 8th district is represented by Republican Matt Boehnke, who is retiring to run for U.S. House in Washington's 4th congressional district to replace retiring incumbent Dan Newhouse (R-Sunnyside). [5]

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Endorsements

Nikki Torres (R)

State legislators

District 13

The 13th district is represented by Republican Judy Warnick, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 15

The 15th district is represented by Republican Nikki Torres, who initially was going to run for re-election in this seat, but decided to run for the 8th district's open state senate seat vacated by Matt Boehnke. [13] [15]

Sen. Torres was first elected to this seat in 2022, but was drawn out of the district by court ordered redistricting in 2024. [3] [4] She continued to represent the district in the Senate despite no longer residing in it.

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Endorsements

Jeremie Dufault (R)

State legislators

Local officials

District 21

The 21st district is represented by Democrat Marko Liias, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 26

The 26th district is represented by Democrat Deborah Krishnadasan, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 29

The 29th district is represented by Democrat Steve Conway, who is retiring. Sharlett Mena confirmed she would run for the seat and Melanie Morgan, the other state representative for the district, stated she would support Rep. Mena for the state senate seat. [6]

Candidates

Declared

Declined

District 30

The 30th district is represented by Democrat Claire Wilson, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 31

The 31st district is represented by Republican Phil Fortunato, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 32

The 32nd district is represented by Democrat Jesse Salomon, who is running for re-election. [27]

Candidates

Declared

District 33

The 33rd district is represented by Democrat Tina Orwall, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Potential

District 34

The 34th district is represented by Democrat Emily Alvarado, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 35

The 35th district is represented by Republican Drew MacEwen, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 36

The 36th district is represented by Democrat Noel Frame, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 37

The 37th district is represented by Democrat Rebecca Saldaña, who will not run for re-election. She will run for the King County Council District 2 seat that was vacated by Girmay Zahilay when he won election to become King County Executive in November 2025. The two representatives for the district Chipalo Street and Sharon Tomiko Santos stated that they discussed who should run for her vacant seat and decided that Rep. Street would. [31]

Candidates

Declared

Declined

District 38

The 38th district is represented by Democrat June Robinson, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 42

The 42nd district is represented by Democrat Sharon Shewmake, who will not seek re-election. [8] Both Democratic State Representatives for the district have also declined to seek the Senate seat. [36] [37]

Candidates

Declared

Filed paperwork

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

District 43

The 43rd district is represented by Democrat and incumbent Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 44

The 44th district is represented by Democrat John Lovick, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 45

The 45th district is represented by Democrat Manka Dhingra, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 46

The 46th district is represented by Democrat Javier Valdez, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 47

The 47th district is represented by Democrat Claudia Kauffman, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

District 48

The 48th district is represented by Democrat Vandana Slatter, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if she will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

References

  1. ↑ Booker, Brakkton (2025-07-29). "The 2026 midterms are officially underway". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  2. ↑ "Washington State Senate elections, 2026". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  3. 1 2 "Judge OKs new WA legislative map". The Seattle Times. 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  4. 1 2 Cornfield, Jerry (2024-05-08). "Washington Republicans wrestle with realities of a redrawn political map • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Cornfield, Jerry (January 22, 2026). "State senator is latest Republican to join central WA congressional race". Washington State Standard . Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Veteran Democratic state Sen. Steve Conway to retire from WA Legislature • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  7. ↑ Goldstein-Street, Jake (2025-12-09). "WA state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña won't seek reelection • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  8. 1 2 3 Teehan, Joe (2025-12-02). "State Senator Sharon Shewmake says she won't seek reelection in 2026". My Bellingham Now. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  9. ↑ Jacobson, Louis (January 22, 2026). "Handicapping The 2026 State Legislative Map: A First Look". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Jeff Holy | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  11. ↑ "Shelly Short | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  12. ↑ Rosane, Eric (2025-01-06). "Tri-Cities school board leader plans WA Senate run amid political shakeup". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Cornfield, Jerry (2026-01-22). "State senator is latest Republican to join central WA congressional race • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  14. ↑ "Judy Warnick | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  15. ↑ Kenzo Sundeen, Jasper (March 27, 2025). "State Sen. Nikki Torres announces reelection bid for 15th District". Yakima Herald-Republic . Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 Lee, Bobby (2025-03-28). "Yakima's Rep. Jeremie Dufault announces state Senate run". NonStop Local Tri-Cities/Yakima. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  17. ↑ "Marko Liias | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  18. ↑ "Deborah Krishnadasan | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
  19. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  20. ↑ "City Council appoints Paul McDaniel as the newest member for Position 2 | City of Federal Way". www.federalwaywa.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  21. ↑ "King County August 5, 2025 Primary". results.vote.wa.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  22. ↑ Staff, Mirror (2022-04-27). "Paul McDaniel announces run for 30th LD State Representative". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  23. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  24. ↑ "Claire Wilson | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  25. ↑ "Phil Fortunato | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  26. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  27. 1 2 3 Cornfield, Jerry (2025-07-07). "WA House member looks to unseat senator from her own party • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  28. ↑ "Emily Alvarado | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  29. ↑ "Drew MacEwen | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  30. ↑ "Noel Frame | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  31. ↑ Goldstein-Street, Jake (2025-12-09). "WA state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña won't seek reelection • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  32. ↑ Goldstein-Street, Jake (2025-12-09). "WA state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña won't seek reelection • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  33. ↑ "Rebecca Saldaña | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  34. ↑ Goldstein-Street, Jake (2025-12-09). "WA state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña won't seek reelection • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  35. ↑ "June Robinson | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  36. 1 2 3 Tellman, Julia (2025-12-08). "Port of Bellingham commissioner announces run for state senate". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Tellman, Julia (2025-12-01). "WA state Sen. Sharon Shewmake not running for reelection in 2026". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  38. ↑ "Erika Creydt | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  39. ↑ Alden, Charlotte (2026-01-19). "Blaine School Board director Erika Creydt announces run for state Senate | Cascadia Daily News" . Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  40. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  41. ↑ "Jamie Pedersen | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  42. ↑ "John Lovick | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  43. ↑ "Manka Dhingra | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  44. ↑ "Javier Valdez | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  45. ↑ "Carmen Goers | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  46. ↑ "Claudia Kauffman | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  47. ↑ "Vandana Slatter | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
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