WASHINGTON – Five months after holding its presidential primaries, Washington state is looking to the future and selecting candidates to run for federal and state office. in November.
A handful of retirements — notably those of third-term Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers — have injected some enthusiasm into this left-leaning state’s primaries.
The governor’s race drew a crowded field, with 28 candidates, including the state’s current attorney general, Bob Ferguson. This number does not include two additional Democratic candidates also named Bob Ferguson, both recruited by a conservative activist, who withdrew from the vote shortly after the presentation. The short-lived joke didn’t seem to take the wind out of Attorney General Ferguson’s sails, as he raised more than $8.6 million — more than double the next best-funded candidate.
The state’s other eight executive positions were also opened this year. Three of them do not include starters. Ferguson is leaving the attorney general’s office to seek the governorship, while Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz is running for the position of House Commissioner and U.S. Insurance Mike Kreidler, who has faced accusations of creating a hostile workplace and resigns during his current term, it is not run for re-election.
Kilmer represents the state’s 6th Congressional District, which includes the entire Olympia Peninsula and the city of Tacoma. It has been represented by a Democrat since 1965. Franz, a Democrat, has raised about $1.4 million, with fellow Democrat and state Sen. Emily Randall coming in second in the money race with about $1 million.
Both could be on the ballot in November, as Washington has a top-two primary system in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party, and the top two finishers advance to the general election.
McMorris Rodgers’ seat, which covers the eastern third of the state and includes Spokane, attracted nearly a dozen candidates. Many elected experience, including Spokane County Treasurer and former state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, the race’s top fundraiser, and state Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber. McMorris Rodgers did not support anyone in the race.
In the southwest corner, the state’s 3rd Congressional District will likely be a key race in November. Incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez took away a hassle in the 2022 midterms, reversing the district. She has vastly outperformed her primary challengers, and with her path to November looking fairly straightforward, her seat will be a top target for Republicans in the fall.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:
The Washington state primary will be held on Tuesday. Voting closes at 11pm ET.
The Associated Press will provide coverage of 62 races, including all-party primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state executive offices, state Supreme Court and both state legislative chambers.
Any registered voter in Washington can participate in the primary election.
In addition to holding primaries for all parties, Washington conducts its elections entirely by mail. All registered voters receive an absentee ballot, and as long as the ballots are postmarked by Election Day, they can be counted.
Like other mail-only states, Washington tends to count its votes relatively slowly. In state elections, slow vote counting could delay the recall of one or both seats in the November elections if it is not clear which candidates will prevail when all the votes are counted.
For statewide races, the key counties to watch are the populous King counties, which includes Seattle, and its neighbors to the north and south, Pierce and Snohomish.
The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it is determined that there is no scenario that would allow trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race is not called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or victory declarations. In doing so, the AP will make it clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
As of July 19, there were 4,831,157 registered voters in Washington. Washington does not register voters by party.
In the 2024 presidential primaries, turnout was 35% of just under 4.9 million registered voters.
Absentee ballots began to be voted on July 19. On July 31, more than 608,000 votes were cast in the all-party primaries.
In the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries, AP first reported the results at 11:02 pm ET, or two minutes after polls closed. Election night counting ended at 11:30 pm ET, with about 71% of the total votes counted.
As of Tuesday, there will be 91 days until the November general election.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the 2024 elections at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
