Thurston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census,its population was 294,793. The county seat is Olympia,the state capital.
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census,making it the most populous county in Washington,and the 12th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle,also the state's most populous city.
The Washington State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Washington,headquartered in Seattle. It is also commonly referred to as the Washington State Democrats and the Washington Democratic Party. It is currently the dominant party in the state,controlling the majority of Washington's U.S. House seats,both U.S. Senate seats,both houses of the state legislature,and the governorship.
Robert Alan Hasegawa is an American labor leader and politician serving as a member of the Washington State Senate,representing the 11th Legislative District since January 2013. Hasegawa is a lifelong resident of Seattle's Beacon Hill. He previously served in the Washington State House of Representatives,and is retired from the Teamsters Union where he was a member and union leader for over 32 years.
Ballot Initiative 937 is a clean energy initiative passed in the US state of Washington,appearing on the ballot in the November 2006 elections. It passed with 52 percent of the vote.
Peter G. von Reichbauer is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the nonpartisan King County Council,representing District 7,a 124-square-mile (320 km2) region of South King County which includes all of the cities of Algona and Federal Way,the entire King County portions of Auburn,Milton,and Pacific and large unincorporated areas. Prior to his election to the council,von Reichbauer served as a Washington State Senator for the 30th Legislative District between 1973 and 1994.
Douglass B. Sutherland,is an American politician who served as 14th commissioner of public lands of the state of Washington from 2001 to 2009. Sutherland was first elected to this statewide position in 2000,when he defeated former Governor Mike Lowry. He was re-elected in 2004,defeating challenger Mike Cooper. In 2008,Sutherland ran for a third term,but lost to Peter J. Goldmark,a rancher from Eastern Washington. He was mayor of Tacoma from 1982 to 1989.
The ORCA card is a contactless,stored-value smart card system for public transit in the Puget Sound region of Washington,United States. The card is valid on most transit systems in the Seattle metropolitan area,including Sound Transit,local bus agencies,Washington State Ferries,the King County Water Taxi,and Kitsap Fast Ferries. It was launched in 2009 and is managed by the Central Puget Sound Regional Fare Coordination Project,a board composed of local transit agencies.
Julia L. Patterson is an American politician from Washington. She is a former member of the King County Council,Washington State Senate,Washington House of Representatives,and the SeaTac City Council.
Lawrence R. Phillips is an American politician who served as a member of the King County Council in Washington state. Phillips served on the council from 1992 to 2016,representing the fourth district,which includes the Seattle neighborhoods of Queen Anne,Magnolia,Ballard,Fremont,Belltown,South Lake Union,and Downtown. He served as chair of the council from 2004 to 2006 and again in 2014. He was unopposed in his 2011 re-election. Phillips also serves on the Board of Directors of Sound Transit,a regional transit organization serving the Puget Sound area. A hallmark of Phillips's tenure has been his work to preserve forests and farmland by buying land,development rights,or conservation easements. Phillips is a self-identified Democrat,although his position on the King County Council was officially nonpartisan. On April 1,2015,Phillips announced he would not seek reelection to the King County Council that November.
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) is a metropolitan planning organization that develops policies and makes decisions about transportation planning,economic development,and growth management throughout the four-county Seattle metropolitan area surrounding Puget Sound. It is a forum for cities,towns,counties,transit agencies,port districts,Native American tribes,and state agencies to address regional issues.
The government of Washington State is the governmental structure of the State of Washington,United States,as established by the Constitution of the State of Washington. The executive is composed of the Governor,several other statewide elected officials and the Governor's cabinet. The Washington State Legislature consists of the House of Representatives and State Senate. The judiciary is composed of the Washington Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government,consisting of counties,municipalities and special districts.
Op den Graeff is a German and American family of Dutch origin. They were one of the first families of the Mennonite faith in Krefeld at the beginning of the 17th century. Various family members belonged to Original 13,the first organized immigration of a closed group of Germans to America in 1683. There the family had a long history in religious service and politics,beginning in the late 17th century in the Colony of Pennsylvania. In 1688,they became forerunners of the anti-slavery movement by signing the first anti-slavery protest in North America. Their descendants spread into various lines,Updegraff,Uptegraft,Updegraft,Updegrave,Updegrove,Uptegrove,Ubdegrove,Uptegraph,Upthagrove. The Updegraff branch of Ohio belonged to the leading families of the Quaker religious movement and produced a long line of ministers and elders.
Mia Su-Ling Gregerson-Dahle is an American politician. A Democrat,Gregerson has served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 33rd Legislative District since 2013. She served on the SeaTac city council from 2008 to 2016.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on November 8,2016,to elect the 10 U.S. representatives from the state of Washington,one from each of the state's 10 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 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. The primaries were held on August 2.
David J. Somers is an American politician and fisheries biologist serving as the Snohomish County Executive,an office he has held since 2016. Somers previously served on the Snohomish County Council,representing the 5th district in the eastern portion of the county.
Hilary S. Franz is an American politician and conservation attorney who previously served as the 16th Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands from 2017 to 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party who was previously a member of the Bainbridge Island City Council and was elected as commissioner in 2016.
The 2024 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 5,2024. The top-two primary was held on August 6. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jay Inslee was eligible to seek re-election to a fourth term but decided that he would not do so. The Democratic nominee,state Attorney General Bob Ferguson,defeated the Republican nominee,former Congressman Dave Reichert,who conceded defeat on November 19. Ferguson defeated Reichert with 55.51% of the vote in the general election. He also became the first Democrat to win Clallam County since 2000.
Washington state elections in 2024 were held on November 5,2024. Primary elections were held on August 6,2024.
The 2024 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election was held on November 5,2024. Democrat Dave Upthegrove,a King County councilman,defeated Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler,a former U.S. Representative from Washington's 3rd congressional district. The top-two primary was held on August 6. Incumbent Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz,elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020,did not seek a third term in office,opting to run instead for governor. The primary saw a close race with the Democratic vote split across five candidates,causing a recount in order to determine the winners and narrowly avoiding a lockout for the Democratic Party.
