2008 Washington elections

Washington has 9 Executive seats, all elected at large. In 2008, all 9 positions were up for reelection. As of 2025^[update], this was the last set of statewide elections in Washington in which any Republicans won by double digits.

2008 Washington Statewide Executive Offices elections

← 2004 November 4, 2008 (2008-11-04) 2012 →
All 9 Statewide Executive Offices
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 6 3 Seats won 7 2 Seat change 1 1 Percentage 57.12% 42.88% Swing 0.30% 3.22%

Offices and Candidates

Governor

Main article: 2008 Washington gubernatorial election

Incumbent Democratic governor Christine Gregoire ran for re-election, defeating Republican nominee Dino Rossi. In contrast to the previous election, where Gregoire narrowly defeated Rossi by only 129 votes, Gregoire won by 6.5%.

2008 Washington gubernatorial election^[1]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christine Gregoire	696,306	48.27
	Republican	Dino Rossi	668,571	46.35
	Republican	John W. Aiken, Jr.	21,564	1.49
	Democratic	Christian Joubert	16,646	1.15
	Independent	James White	10,884	0.75
	Green	Duff Badgley	9,702	0.67
	Nonpartisan	Christopher Tudor	5,600	0.39
	Reform	Will Baker	5,201	0.36
	Republican	Javier O. Lopez	4,981	0.35
	Nonpartisan	Mohammad Hasan Said	3,002	0.21
Total votes			1,442,457	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Christine Gregoire (incumbent)	1,598,738	53.24
	Republican	Dino Rossi	1,404,124	46.76
Total votes			3,002,862	100.00
	Democratic hold

Lt. Governor

2008 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee Brad Owen Marcia McCraw Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,718,033 1,107,634 Percentage 60.8% 39.2%

County results Congressional district results Owen:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% McCraw:      50–60%

Lieutenant Governor of Washington before election Brad Owen Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor of Washington Brad Owen Democratic

Brad Owen, who has held this position since 1996, ran for re-election to a fourth term. He defeated Republican nominee Marcia McCraw in a landslide, winning over 60% of the vote.

Blanket primary results by county

  Owen

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%

  McCraw

•   30–40%

2008 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brad Owen (incumbent)	706,641	52.08
	Republican	Marcia McCraw	347,551	25.62
	Republican	Jim Wiest	193,752	14.28
	Democratic	Randel Bell	53,694	4.02
	Constitution	Arlene A. Peck	48,887	3.60
Total votes			1,335,908	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Brad Owen (incumbent)	1,718,033	60.80
	Republican	Marcia McCraw	1,107,634	39.20
Total votes			2,825,667	100.00
	Democratic hold

Secretary of State

2008 Washington secretary of state election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee Sam Reed Jason Osgood Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,644,587 1,175,086 Percentage 58.33% 41.67%

County results Congressional district results Reed:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Osgood:      50–60%

Secretary of State before election Sam Reed Republican Elected Secretary of State Sam Reed Republican

Sam Reed, who held this position since 2001, was re-elected to a third and final term, defeating Democrat Jason Osgood. As of 2025, this is the last time a Republican won the Secretary of State position by over 10%.

Blanket primary results by county

  Reed

•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

2012 Washington Secretary of State election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sam Reed	816,171	59.40
	Democratic	Jason Osgood	446,222	32.48
	Constitution	Marilyn Montgomery	88,728	6.46
	Independent	Mark Greene	22,800	1.66
Total votes			1,330,036	100.00
General election
	Republican	Sam Reed (incumbent)	1,644,587	58.33
	Democratic	Jason Osgood	1,175,086	41.67
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,819,673	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

State Treasurer

2008 Washington State Treasurer election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee James McIntire Allan Martin Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,420,022 1,360,063 Percentage 51.1% 48.9%

County results Congressional district results McIntire:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Martin:      50–60%      60–70%

State Treasurer before election Mike Murphy Democratic Elected State Treasurer James McIntire Democratic

Incumbent State Treasurer Mike Murphy (D) retired. Democratic State Representative James McIntire and Republican Allan Martin advanced to the general election, where McIntire narrowly won the open seat.

Blanket primary results by county

  Martin

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%

  McIntire

•   40–50%

| title=Treasurer of Washington election, 2008

2008 Washington State Treasurer election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Allan Martin	613,595	45.33
	Democratic	James McIntire	533,443	39.41
	Democratic	ChangMook Sohn	206,457	15.25
Total votes			1,353,495	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Jim McIntire	1,420,022	51.08
	Republican	Allen Martin	1,360,063	48.92
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,780,085	100.00
Turnout
	Democratic hold

State Auditor

2008 Washington State Auditor election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee Brian Sonntag Richard "Dick" McEntee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,770,977 1,016,396 Percentage 63.5% 36.5%

County results Congressional district results Sonntag:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% McEntee:      50–60%

State Auditor before election Brian Sonntag Democratic Elected State Auditor Brian Sonntag Democratic

Incumbent State Auditor Brian Sonntag, who has held this position since 1993, ran for re-election to a fifth term. Sonntag defeated Republican Richard "Dick" McEntee with over 63% of the vote. As of 2022, this is the last election where the Democratic candidate for State Auditor received over 60% of the vote.

Blanket primary results by county

  Sonntag

•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

  McEntee

•   40–50%
•   50–60%

2008 Washington State Auditor election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brian Sonntag (incumbent)	812,352	59.48
	Republican	J. Richard (Dick) McEntee	459,327	33.63
	Constitution	Glenn Freeman	94,148	6.89
Total votes			1,267,935	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Brian Sonntag (incumbent)	1,770,977	63.54
	Republican	J. Richard (Dick) McEntee	1,016,396	36.46
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes
Turnout
	Democratic hold

Attorney general

2008 Washington Attorney General election

← 2004 2012 →

Nominee Rob McKenna John Ladenburg Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,689,764 1,152,174 Percentage 59.5% 40.5%

County results Congressional district results McKenna:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Ladenburg:      50–60%      60–70%

Attorney General before election Rob McKenna Republican Elected Attorney General Rob McKenna Republican

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna ran for re-election, facing Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, a Democrat, in the general election. McKenna won re-election in a landslide, winning by almost 20 points and carrying all but two counties. As of 2025, this is the last time a Republican was elected Washington Attorney General.

Polling

General election

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Rob McKenna (R)	John Ladenburg (D)	Undecided
SurveyUSA[2]	October 30 – November 2, 2008	663 (LV)	± 3.8%	59%	36%	6%
SurveyUSA[3]	October 26–27, 2008	630 (LV)	± 3.9%	57%	36%	7%
SurveyUSA[4]	October 12–13, 2008	544 (LV)	± 4.3%	54%	38%	8%
SurveyUSA[5]	September 21–22, 2008	682 (LV)	± 3.8%	53%	39%	8%
SurveyUSA[6]	September 5–7, 2008	658 (LV)	± 3.9%	55%	40%	5%
SurveyUSA[7]	August 11–12, 2008	718 (LV)	± 3.7%	51%	43%	6%
SurveyUSA[8]	July 13–15, 2008	666 (LV)	± 3.9%	49%	41%	10%
SurveyUSA[9]	June 7–9, 2008	637 (LV)	± 4.0%	49%	42%	9%

Blanket primary results by county

  McKenna

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

  Ladenburg

•   50–60%

2008 Washington Attorney General election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rob McKenna (incumbent)	783,240	56.98
	Democratic	John Ladenburg	591,254	43.02
Total votes			1,374,494	100.00
General election
	Republican	Rob McKenna (incumbent)	1,689,764	59.46
	Democratic	John Ladenburg	1,152,174	40.54
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,841,938	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

Commissioner of Public Lands

2008 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Candidate Peter J. Goldmark Doug Sutherland Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,416,904 1,385,903 Percentage 50.6% 49.4%

County results Congressional district results Goldmark:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Sutherland:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Public Lands Commissioner before election Doug Sutherland Republican Elected Public Lands Commissioner Peter J. Goldmark Democratic

Incumbent Doug Sutherland (R), who had first been elected in 2000, ran for re-election against rancher Peter J. Goldmark in a highly contested race. Despite polls before the election showing Sutherland leading, on election day Goldmark narrowly defeated Sutherland.

Polling

General election

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Doug Sutherland (R)	Peter Goldmark (D)	Undecided
SurveyUSA[2]	October 30 – November 2, 2008	663 (LV)	± 3.9%	48%	42%	10%
SurveyUSA[3]	October 26–27, 2008	630 (LV)	± 4.0%	45%	43%	12%
SurveyUSA[10]	October 12–13, 2008	544 (LV)	± 4.3%	47%	38%	15%

Blanket primary results by county

  Sutherland

•   50–60%
•   60–70%

  Goldmark

•   50–60%
•   60–70%

2008 Washington Commissioner of Public Lands election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Sutherland (incumbent)	691,145	51.13
	Democratic	Peter J. Goldmark	660,714	48.87
Total votes			1,351,859	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Peter J. Goldmark	1,416,904	50.55
	Republican	Doug Sutherland (incumbent)	1,385,903	49.45
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,802,807	100.00
Turnout
	Democratic gain from Republican

Superintendent of Public Instruction

2008 Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election

← 2004 2012 →

Nominee Randy Dorn Terry Bergeson Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 1,333,290 1,211,909 Percentage 52.4% 47.6%

County results Congressional district results Dorn:      50–60% Bergeson:      50–60%

Superintendent of Public Instruction before election Terry Bergeson Nonpartisan Elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn Nonpartisan

Incumbent Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson ran for re-election to a third term. She was defeated by Randy Dorn. The superintendent is the only nonpartisan statewide election.

Polling

General election

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Terry Bergeson	Randy Dorn	Undecided
SurveyUSA[2]	October 30 – November 2, 2008	663 (LV)	± 3.9%	37%	45%	18%
SurveyUSA[3]	October 26–27, 2008	630 (LV)	± 4.0%	38%	43%	19%
SurveyUSA[11]	October 12–13, 2008	544 (LV)	± 4.3%	31%	43%	26%
SurveyUSA[12]	September 21–22, 2008	682 (LV)	± 3.8%	35%	40%	25%
SurveyUSA[13]	September 5–7, 2008	658 (LV)	± 3.9%	36%	41%	23%
SurveyUSA[14]	August 11–12, 2008	718 (LV)	± 3.7%	32%	43%	25%
SurveyUSA[15]	July 13–15, 2008	666 (LV)	± 3.9%	34%	32%	35%

Blanket primary results by county

  Bergeson

•   30–40%
•   40–50%

  Dorn

•   30–40%
•   40–50%

2008 Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Terry Bergeson (incumbent)	477,130	39.31
	Nonpartisan	Randy Dorn	414,313	34.13
	Nonpartisan	Don Hansler	108,984	8.98
	Nonpartisan	John P. Blair	90,508	7.46
	Nonpartisan	Enid Duncan	78,983	6.51
	Nonpartisan	David Blomstrom	43,984	3.62
Total votes			1,213,902	100.00
General election
	Nonpartisan	Randy Dorn	1,333,290	52.38
	Nonpartisan	Terry Bergeson (incumbent)	1,211,909	47.62
Total votes			2,545,199	100.00
	Democratic hold

• Teresa (Terry) Bergeson (cw) (NP)
• John Patterson Blair (NP)
• David Blomstrom (cw) (NP)
• Randy Dorn (cw) (NP)
• Enid Duncan (NP)
• Donald Hansler (NP)

Insurance Commissioner

2008 Washington Insurance Commissioner election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Candidate Mike Kreidler John Adams Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,679,696 1,056,693 Percentage 61.4% 38.6%

County results Congressional district results Kreidler:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Adams:      50–60%      60–70%

insurance commissioner before election Mike Kreidler Democratic Elected insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler Democratic

Blanket primary results by county

  Kreidler

•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%

  Adams

•   40–50%
•   50–60%

2008 Washington Insurance Commissioner election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Kreidler (incumbent)	723,732	53.86
	Republican	John Adams	484,992	36.09
	Nonpartisan	Curtis Fackler	135,113	10.05
Total votes			1,343,837	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Mike Kreidler (incumbent)	1,679,696	61.38
	Republican	John Adams	1,056,693	38.62
Total votes			2,736,389	100.00
	Democratic hold

• John R. Adams (cw) (R)
• Curtis Fackler (cw) (NP)
• Mike Kreidler (cw) (D)