Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012

The Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, following a primary on August 7th. Unlike many partisan primaries, Washington uses a "Top 2" primary system, also known as a blanket primary, in which all candidates run in one race, regardless of party affiliation. Candidates may indicate which party they prefer, but their preference "does not imply that the candidate is nominated or endorsed by the party, or that the party approves of or associates with that candidate." The two candidates who receive the most votes then advance to the general election.

But the Evergreen State's primary election is non-traditional in more ways than one.

Voters in Washington do not physically go to a polling place to cast their votes. Voting takes place via mail - ballots are mailed out to voters at least 18 days before each election and in order to be counted, ballots must be:

• postmarked no later than Election Day; or
• returned to a designated ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day;
• returned in person to the county elections department by 8 p.m. on Election Day

Brad Owen (D) Incumbent
Bill Finkbeiner (R)

Incumbent Brad Owen (D) finished first in the primary. Bill Finkbeiner (R) finished second. The two faced off in the general election in November. The night after the election, on November 7, 2012, Finkbeiner conceded the race to Owen.

• Election Results
• Background
• Candidates
• Polls & Debates
• Endorsements
• Campaign finance
• Campaign sites and media
• News

General election

Lieutenant Governor of Washington General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brad Owen Incumbent	53.7%	1,575,133
	Republican	Bill Finkbeiner	46.3%	1,359,212
Total Votes				2,934,345
Election Results via Washington Secretary of State.

Primary results

Lt. Governor of Washington, Primary election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brad Owen	48.5%	648,110
	Republican	Bill Finkbeinder	26.4%	352,195
	Republican	Glenn Anderson	17.2%	229,318
	No Party Preference	James Robert Deal	4%	53,694
	Democracy Independent	Mark Greene	3.5%	46,534
	Neopopulist	Dave T. Sumner IV	0.5%	6,057
Total Votes				1,335,908
Election Results Via: Washington Secretary of State

2013 → ← 2011

2012 State Executive Official Elections

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News • Calendar

Key dates

• Administrative deadlines are at close of business (5:00) unless otherwise noted.

Deadline	Event
May 14 - May 18	Candidate filing period
July 9	Last day for mail-in and online voter registrations for the primary
Aug. 7	Primary election
Aug. 28	Primary results certified
Oct. 8	Last day for mail-in and online voter registrations for the general election
Nov. 6	General election

General election candidates

Brad Owen Incumbent
Bill Finkbeiner

Primary candidates

Candidates are listed in the order in which they appeared on the ballot, according to Washington's lot draw system.

• Glenn Anderson (Prefers Republican Party)
• Brad Owen (Prefers Democratic Party) Incumbenta
• James Robert Deal (States No Party Preference)
• Bill Finkbeiner (Prefers Republican Party)a
• Dave T. Sumner IV (Prefers Neopopulist Party)
• Mark Greene (Prefers Democracy Independent Party)

Polls

Brad Owen vs. Bill Finkbeiner
Response	Elway Research (September 9-12, 2012)	Elway Research Poll (October 18-21, 2012)	Average
Brad Owen (D)	43%	42%	42.5%
Bill Finkbeiner (R)	27%	32%	29.5%
Undecided	29%	26%	27.5%
Number polled	405	451	428
Margin of error	+/-5.0	+/-4.5%	4.75%
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Finkbeiner and Anderson

On Thursday, June 21, the two Republican candidates met in a debate, organized by the Issaquah-Sammamish Tea Party, that reporters likened to a conversation between two "like-minded men." Though all candidates were invited, Owen asked that the date be changed to accommodate a prior engagement.

Both Finkbeiner and Anderson voiced their support for gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna but noted that if they were elected alongside a governor from another party, they would work together. Finkbeiner, echoing one of the core platforms of his campaign, vowed to work to create cooperation among both parties in the state legislature. He said he would push for an online public comment process for bills introduced in the legislature. Anderson accounted for his high missed-vote count as a state Representative, noting a divorce caused him to miss days in the legislature. He highlighted the facts that he is not taking money from special interest groups to fund his campaign and does not participate in the public servant pension plan - an option available to state Representatives.

Finkbeiner and Owen

The two candidates met for a debate hosted by the Association of Washington Business on September 12, 2012. Candidate Debates (Video) - 2012 Informed Voter Guide

Bill Finkbeiner

• Washington Conservation Voters
• Service Employees International Union 775 Northwest
• Herald Editorial Board

Brad Owen

• The Seattle Times

Due dates for reports

The Washington Public Disclosure Commission administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.

For the primary election:

• First report -- due by July 17, 2012
  
• Pre-Primary report -- due by July 31, 2012
  
• Post-Primary report -- due by September 10, 2012
  

For the general election:

• First report -- due by October 16, 2012
  
• Pre-general report -- due by October 30, 2012
  
• Post-general report -- due by December 10, 2012
  

Candidates

Brad Owen Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
First Report	July 17, 2012	$0.00	$42,201.48	$(7,860.40)	$69,729.11
Pre-Primary Report	June 31, 2012	$69,729.11	$38,250.00	$(1,799.06)	$106,180.05
Post-Primary Report	September 10, 2012	$106,180.05	$27,520.00	$(121,632.22)	$12,067.83
First General	October 16, 2012	$12,067.83	$59,074.00	$(61,730.98)	$9,410.85
Pre-General	October 30, 2012	$9,410.85	$30,130.00	$(33,185.60)	$6,355.25
			Running totals
			$197,175.48	$(226,208.26)

Bill Finkbeiner Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Pre-Primary Report	July 17, 2012	$0.00	$22,692.23	$(25,104.81)	$58,875.99
Second Report	June 31, 2012	$58,875.99	$1,427.00	$(7,118.70)	$52,184.29
Post-Primary Report	September 10, 2012	$52,184.29	$20,181.00	$(38,543.72)	$34,821.57
First General	October 16, 2012	$34,543.72	$55,276.89	$(27,375.38)	$62,723.08
Pre-General	October 30, 2012	$62,723.08	$60,109.42	$(48,207.28)	$74,625.22
			Running totals
			$159,686.54	$(146,349.89)

• Glenn Anderson
• Brad Owen
• Bill Finkbeiner

• Election aftermath: No primary upsets for evergreen state executive candidates August 8
• Election preview: "Top-two" nominations await Washington's state executive primaries August 6
• Field is set for Washington's nine state executive blanket primaries May 19

See also

• Governor of Washington
• Lieutenant Governor of Washington
• Washington gubernatorial election, 2012
• Washington state executive official elections, 2012
• Washington down ballot state executive elections, 2012
• State executive official elections, 2012

External links

Suggest a link

• Official list of candidates
• Green Papers, Washington