2026 Washington State Senate election

Washington State Senate elections, 2026

←  2024 November 3, 2026 2028 →
24 of 49 seats in the Washington State Senate 25 seats needed for a majority
Leader Jamie Pedersen John Braun Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat 43rd 20th Current seats 30 19 Seats needed 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 half the members of the Washington State Senate in the U.S. state of Washington's legislative districts to serve a two-year term. ^[2]

Outgoing incumbents

Retirements

1. District 42: Sharon Shewmake (D) is retiring. ^[3]
2. District 37: Rebecca Saldaña (D) is retiring to run for the King County Council. ^[4]

Summary of results by district

District	Incumbent	Party		Elected Senator	Outcome
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

• Jeff Holy (Republican), incumbent state senator ^[5]

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

• Shelly Short (Republican), incumbent state senator ^[6]

District 8

The 8th district is represented by Republican Matt Boehnke, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

• Matt Boehnke (Republican), incumbent state senator ^[7]

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

• Judy Warnick (Republican), incumbent state senator ^[8]

District 15

The 15th district is represented by Republican Nikki Torres, who is running for re-election. ^[9]

Candidates

Declared

• Jeremie Dufault (Republican), state representative ^[10]
• Nikki Torres (Republican), incumbent state senator ^[9]

Endorsements

Jeremie Dufault (R)

State legislators

• Chris Corry, state representative ^[10]

Local officials

• Matt Brown, deputy mayor of Yakima ^[10]

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

• Marko Liias (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[11]

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

• Renee Hernandez Greenfield (Democratic), adjunct professor at Tacoma Community College ^[12]

District 29

The 29th district is represented by Democrat Steve Conway, who is eligible to run for re-election but has not yet stated if he will do so.

Candidates

Filed paperwork

• Steve Conway (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[13]

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

• Claire Wilson (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[14]

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

• Phil Fortunato (Republican), incumbent state senator ^[15]

District 32

The 32nd district is represented by Democrat Jesse Salomon, who is running for re-election. ^[16]

Candidates

Declared

• Cindy Ryu (Democratic), state representative ^[16]
• Jesse Salomon (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[16]

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

• Tina Orwall (Democratic), incumbent state senator

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

• Emily Alvarado (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[17]

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

• Drew MacEwen (Republican), incumbent state senator ^[18]

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

• Noel Frame (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[19]

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. ^[20]

Candidates

Declared

• Chipalo Street (Democratic), incumbent state representative ^[21]

Declined

• Rebecca Saldaña (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[22]
• Sharon Tomiko Santos (Democratic), incumbent state representative ^[23]

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

• June Robinson (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[24]

District 42

The 42nd district is represented by Democrat Sharon Shewmake, who will not seek re-election. ^[3] Both Democratic State Representatives for the district have also declined to seek the Senate seat.

Candidates

Declared

• Michael Shepard (Democratic), incumbent Port of Bellingham Commissioner, anthropology professor at Northwest Indian College and Whatcom Community College. ^[25]

Potential

• Ben Elenbaas (Republican), incumbent Whatcom County Council member ^[26]
• Simon Sefzik (Republican), former state senator ^[26]

Declined

• Sharon Shewmake (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[3]
• Joe Timmons (Democratic), incumbent state representative ^[27]
• Alicia Rule (Democratic), incumbent state representative ^[28]

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

• Jamie Pedersen (Democratic), incumbent state senator and Senate majority leader ^[29]

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

• John Lovick (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[30]

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

• Manka Dhingra (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[31]

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

• Javier Valdez (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[32]

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

• Claudia Kauffman (Democratic), incumbent state senator ^[33]

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

Potential

• Vandana Slatter (Democratic), incumbent state senator

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. Teehan, Joe (2025-12-02). "State Senator Sharon Shewmake says she won't seek reelection in 2026". My Bellingham Now. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
4. 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.
5. "Jeff Holy | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
6. "Shelly Short | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
7. "Matt Boehnke | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
8. "Judy Warnick | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
9. Kenzo Sundeen, Jasper (March 27, 2025). "State Sen. Nikki Torres announces reelection bid for 15th District". Yakima Herald-Republic . Retrieved August 12, 2025.
10. Lee, Bobby (2025-03-28). "Yakima's Rep. Jeremie Dufault announces state Senate run". NonStop Local Tri-Cities/Yakima. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
11. "Marko Liias | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
12. "Renee Hernandez Greenfield | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
13. "Steve Conway | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
14. "Claire Wilson | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
15. "Phil Fortunato | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
16. 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.
17. "Emily Alvarado | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
18. "Drew MacEwen | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
19. "Noel Frame | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. "Rebecca Saldaña | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
23. 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.
24. "June Robinson | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
25. Tellman, Julia (2025-12-08). "Port of Bellingham commissioner announces run for state senate • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
26. Tellman, Julia (2025-12-01). "WA state Sen. Sharon Shewmake not running for reelection in 2026". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
27. Tellman, Julia (2025-12-01). "WA state Sen. Sharon Shewmake not running for reelection in 2026 • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
28. Tellman, Julia (2025-12-08). "Port of Bellingham commissioner announces run for state senate • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
29. "Jamie Pedersen | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
30. "John Lovick | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
31. "Manka Dhingra | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
32. "Javier Valdez | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
33. "Claudia Kauffman | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-08.