Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
2024 Washington gubernatorial election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
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.[1] The Democratic candidate, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, defeated the Republican candidate, former Congressman Dave Reichert, who conceded defeat on November 19. Ferguson defeated Reichert with 55.51% of the vote in the general election.[2] He also became the first Democrat to win Clallam County since 2000.
This election marked the 11th consecutive election victory of the Democratic candidate for governor of Washington. Washington has not had a Republican governor since John Spellman left office in 1985,[3] the longest streak of Democratic leadership of any state in the country and the third-longest streak of one-party leadership after South Dakota (which has not had a Democratic governor since Harvey Wollman left office in 1979) and Utah (which has not had a Democratic governor since Scott Matheson left office nine days prior to Spellman in 1985).[4][5][6]
Remove ads
Primary election
Summarize
Perspective
Washington is one of two states that holds a top-two primary, meaning that all candidates are listed on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, and the top two advance to the general election.
The filing deadline was May 10, 2024. On that day, two candidates named Bob Ferguson entered the race at the behest of a conservative activist who sought people with the same surname as Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who was considered the Democratic frontrunner.[7] The two new candidates—a retired state employee and a U.S. Army veteran—resigned from the race on May 13, the deadline to withdraw, after questions about the legality of their campaigns arose. Washington's state statutes prohibit a new candidate with the same surname as an already-filed candidate from running with the intent to confuse or mislead voters.[8]
Democratic candidates
Advanced to general
Eliminated in primary
- Ricky Anthony, retiree[10]
- Edward Cale IV, postal worker[11]
- Fred Grant, communications professional[3]
- Cassondra Hanson, retail worker[11]
- Chaytan Inman, artificial intelligence engineer[11]
- EL'ona Kearney, forgiveness coach[12]
- Mark Mullet, state senator[13]
- Don Rivers, retired King County Metro worker and perennial candidate[11]
Withdrawn
- Bob Arthur Ferguson, former state employee[14]
- Bob Benjamin Ferguson, veteran[14]
- Hilary Franz, Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands (ran for U.S. House)[15]
Declined
- Dow Constantine, King County Executive[16]
- Denny Heck, Lieutenant Governor of Washington and former U.S. representative from Washington's 10th congressional district[17] (ran for re-election)[18]
- Jay Inslee, incumbent governor and candidate for President of the United States in 2020[1] (endorsed Ferguson)[19]
Republican candidates
Advanced to general
- Dave Reichert, former U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district (2005–2019)[20]
Eliminated in primary
- Semi Bird, former P.C.O. and chair for the Benton County Republican Party (2022–2024) and former Richland school board member (2021–2023)[21]
- A.L. Brown[10]
- Jim Daniel, former Klickitat Hospital Board commissioner[10]
- Bill Hirt, retired aircraft engineer and perennial candidate[10]
- Jennifer Hoover, pastor[10]
- Martin Wheeler, farmer and candidate for governor in 2020[10]
Withdrawn
- Raul Garcia, physician and candidate for governor in 2020 (endorsed Reichert, ran for U.S. Senate)[22]
Declined
- Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County Executive (2017–present) and former state senator (2013–2017)[16] (endorsed Reichert)[23]
- Jaime Herrera Beutler, former U.S. representative for Washington's 3rd congressional district (2011–2023) (ran for Public Lands Commissioner)[24]
- Loren Culp, former Republic police chief, runner-up for governor in 2020, and candidate for Washington's 4th congressional district in 2022 (endorsed Bird)[25]
- Drew MacEwen, state senator (ran for U.S. House, endorsed Reichert)[26]
- J.T. Wilcox, state representative and former Minority Leader of the Washington House of Representatives[27]
Third-party and independent candidates
Eliminated in primary
- Brian Bogen (Independent), businessman[10]
- Jim Clark (Independent), computer programmer[10]
- William Combs (Independent), U.S. Navy veteran[11]
- Jeff Curry (Independent), school bus driver[10]
- Frank Dare (Independent), retiree[10]
- Michael DePaula (Libertarian), enterprise engineer[10]
- Leon Lawson (Trump Republican[a]), used car dealer, proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory, candidate for governor in 2020, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022[11]
- Alan Makayev (Nonsense Busters[a]), property manager[10]
- Rosetta Marshall-Williams (Independence[a])[10]
- Brad Mjelde (Independent), retired businessman[10]
- Andre Stackhouse (Green), nonprofit executive[10]
- Alex Tsimerman (Standup-America[a]), business consultant and perennial candidate[10]
Endorsements
Semi Bird (R)
County officials
- 6 County sheriffs[28]
Local officials
- Loren Culp, former Republic police chief and candidate for governor in 2020[29]
Individuals
- Joe Kent, candidate for Washington's 3rd congressional district in 2022 and 2024[28]
Political parties
Party chapters
- Benton County Republican Party[31]
- Clark County Republican Party[32]
- Cowlitz County Republican Party[33]
- Skagit County Republican Party[34]
- Spokane County Republican Party[35]
- Snohomish County Republican Party[36]
- Yakima County Republican Party[35]
Bob Ferguson (D)
U.S. senators
- Maria Cantwell, U.S. senator from Washington (2001–present)[37]
- Patty Murray, U.S. senator from Washington (1993–present)[38]
U.S. representatives
- Suzan DelBene (WA-01)[39]
- Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)[39]
- Derek Kilmer (WA-06) (2013-2025)[39]
- Rick Larsen (WA-02)[40]
- Adam Smith (WA-09)[39]
Statewide officials
- Jay Inslee, incumbent governor of Washington[19]
- Terry Bergeson, former Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction[40]
- Peter Goldmark, former Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands[40]
- Christine Gregoire, former governor of Washington[41]
- Mike Pellicciotti, Washington State Treasurer[40]
State legislators
County officials
- 7 King County councilors[40]
- Satpal Sidhu, Whatcom County Executive[40]
Local officials
- All 5 Seattle Port Commission members[40]
- Sally Bagshaw, former Seattle city councilor[40]
- David Della, former Seattle city councilor[40]
- Bruce Harrell, mayor of Seattle[42]
- Pete Holmes, former Seattle City Attorney[40]
- Tim Leavitt, former mayor of Vancouver[40]
- Greg Nickels, former mayor of Seattle[40]
- Royce Pollard, former mayor of Vancouver[40]
- Dan Strauss, Seattle city councilor[40]
Tribal officials
- Fawn Sharp, vice chair of the Quinault Indian Nation and president of the National Congress of American Indians[40]
- Tom Wooten, chair of the Samish Indian Nation[40]
Individuals
- Paul Berendt, former chair of the Washington Democratic Party[40]
- Carmen Best, former Chief of the Seattle Police Department[40]
Newspapers
Organizations
Labor unions
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46 and 77[40]
- International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers[47]
- 5 SEIU locals[b][48][49]
- Teamsters Local 28[40]
- United Auto Workers[50]
- United Farm Workers[51]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000[40]
- Washington State Labor Council[52]
Tribes
Mark Mullet (D)
Statewide officials
State legislators
- Annette Cleveland, state senator from the 49th district[54]
- Mia Gregerson, state representative from the 33rd district[54]
- Brian Hatfield, former state senator from the 19th district[54]
- John Lovick, state senator from the 44th district[54]
- Sharon Nelson, former state senator from the 34th district[54]
- Kevin Van De Wege, state senator from the 24th district[54]
- Amy Walen, state representative from the 48th district[54]
Local officials
- Jared Mead, Snohomish County Councilor and former state representative[54]
- Sara Nelson, Seattle city councilor[54]
Organizations
Dave Reichert (R)
U.S. representatives
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (WA-05) (2005-2025)[56]
- Doc Hastings, (WA-04) (1995-2015)[57]
Statewide officials
- Rob McKenna, former Washington Attorney General and runner-up for governor in 2012[58]
- Sam Reed, former Washington Secretary of State[57]
State legislators
Local officials
- Nadine Woodward, former mayor of Spokane[59]
- Conrad Lee, former mayor of Bellevue[57]
County officials
- Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County Executive[23]
- Reagan Dunn, King County councilor[23]
- Joe Stortini, former Pierce County Executive[57]
- 34 County sheriffs [57]
Organizations
- Building Industry Association of Washington[60]
- National Federation of Independent Business[61]
- Puget Sound National Electrical Contractors Association Chapter [57]
- Washington State Farm Bureau PAC [57]
- Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs[57]
Labor unions
Party chapters
- Grant County Republican Party[63]
- Pierce County Republican Party[64]
Hilary Franz (D) (withdrawn)
Organizations
- National Women's Political Caucus of Washington[65]
Polling
Hypothetical polling
with Bird, Ferguson, Franz, Garcia, and Mullet
with Constantine, Dammeier, Ferguson, and Franz
with Inslee, generic Republican, and generic Democrat
Results

Ferguson
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 60–70%
Reichert
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Remove ads
General election
Summarize
Perspective
Predictions
Fundraising
Debates
Polling
Aggregate polls
Hypothetical polling
Bob Ferguson vs. Semi Bird
Results
By county
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Clallam (largest city: Port Angeles)
By congressional district
Ferguson won six of ten congressional districts, with the remaining four going to Reichert, including two that elected Democrats.[100]
Remove ads
Notes
Partisan clients
- Poll sponsored by the Northwest Progressive Institute
- Poll sponsored by The Seattle Times, KING 5, and the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads