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Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Review Articles: Washington State Executive Officials

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December 11, 2012

By Maresa Strano

State Executive Officials

OLYMPIA, Washington: Nine state executive positions were up for election in 2012 in the state of Washington: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, auditor, superintendent of public instruction, insurance commissioner and public lands commissioner. The match-up between former U.S. Congressman Jay Inslee (D) and incumbent Washington attorney general Rob McKenna, was widely recognized as the most hotly contested gubernatorial race of the season. In the end, Inslee was declared the winner after McKenna conceded the election on November 9, 2012, three days after voting closed.[1][2]

The general election was held November 6, 2012, following a state primary on August 7, 2012. All five of the nine incumbents who sought re-election were successful. Of the remaining four:

  • Due to the governor's race, Rob McKenna did not seek a third term as attorney general. Having lost his bid for Gregoire's open seat to Jay Inslee in the general election, McKenna now faces (at least temporary) retirement from statewide office in Washington.
  • Incumbent secretary of state Sam Reed (R) decided to retire this year rather than run for a fourth term. He will be succeeded by fellow moderate Republican Kim Wyman, a former staffer of Reed's who was elected to the position on November 6, 2012.
  • After serving 20 years in the office, Democratic state auditor Brian Sonntag decided not seek re-election this year.[3] He will vacate the seat in January, upon which recent election victor Troy Kelley (D) will take over as the state's chief financial watchdog.

Here are the candidates who won election.[4](See below for official vote totals)

Office Incumbent General Election Candidates 2015 Winner Partisan Switch?
Governor Christine Gregoire
Gregoire.jpg		 Democratic Party Jay Inslee
Republican Party Rob McKenna		 Democratic Party Jay Inslee No
Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen
Brad Owen.jpg		 Democratic Party Brad Owen
Republican Party Bill Finkbeiner		 Democratic Party Brad Owen No
Attorney General Rob McKenna
Rob McKenna.jpg		 Democratic Party Bob Ferguson
Republican Party Reagan Dunn		 Democratic Party Bob Ferguson Yes
Secretary of State Sam Reed
Sam Reed.jpg		 Democratic Party Kathleen Drew
Republican Party Kim Wyman		 Republican Party Kim Wyman No
Treasurer James McIntire
James McIntire.jpg		 Democratic Party James McIntire
Republican Party Sharon Hanek		 Democratic Party James McIntire No
Auditor Brian Sonntag
Brian Sonntag.jpg		 Democratic Party Troy Kelley
Republican Party James Watkins		 Democratic Party Troy Kelley No
Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn
Randy Dorn.jpg		 Randy Dorn Randy Dorn (non partisan) No
Commissioner of Insurance Mike Kreidler
Mike Kreidler.jpg		 Democratic Party Mike Kreidler
Republican Party John R. Adams		 Democratic Party Mike Kreidler No
Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark
Peter Goldmark.jpg		 Democratic Party Peter Goldmark
Republican Party Clint Didier		 Democratic Party Peter Goldmark No


Official Results

Governor

See also: Washington gubernatorial election, 2012
Governor of Washington General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJay Inslee 51.4% 1,582,802
     Republican Rob McKenna 48.3% 1,488,245
     Other Write-in votes 0.3% 8,592
Total Votes 3,079,639
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

Lt. Governor

See also: Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012
Lieutenant Governor of Washington General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBrad 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

Attorney General

See also: Washington attorney general election, 2012
Attorney General of Washington General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBob Ferguson 53.5% 1,564,443
     Republican Reagan Dunn 46.5% 1,361,010
Total Votes 2,925,453
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

Secretary of State

See also: Washington secretary of state election, 2012
Washington Secretary of State General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngKim Wyman 50.4% 1,464,741
     Democratic Kathleen Drew 49.6% 1,442,868
Total Votes 2,907,609
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

Treasurer

See also: Washington down ballot state executive elections, 2012
Washington Treasurer General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJames McIntire Incumbent 58.7% 1,695,401
     Republican Sharon Hanek 41.3% 1,192,150
Total Votes 2,887,551
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

Auditor

See also: Washington down ballot state executive elections, 2012
Washington State Auditor General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngTroy Kelley 52.9% 1,512,620
     Republican James Watkins 47.1% 1,344,137
Total Votes 2,856,757
Election results via Washington Secretary of State


Superintendent of Public Instruction

See also: Washington down ballot state executive elections, 2012
Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     N/A Green check mark transparent.pngRandy Dorn Incumbent 100% 2,164,163
Total Votes 2,164,163
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

Commissioner of Insurance

See also: Washington down ballot state executive elections, 2012
Washington Commissioner of Insurance General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMike Kreidler Incumbent 58.3% 1,662,555
     Republican John Adams 41.7% 1,188,926
Total Votes 2,851,481
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

Commissioner of Public Lands

See also: Washington down ballot state executive elections, 2012
Washington Commissioner of Public Lands General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngPeter Goldmark Incumbent 58.7% 1,692,083
     Republican Clint Didier 41.3% 1,188,411
Total Votes 2,880,494
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

National picture

States with 2012 executive elections

There were 94 total seats up for election across 22 states this year, including 11 Governors, 9 Lt. Governors, 10 Attorneys General, 7 Secretaries of State and 57 down ballot seats.

  • Before the election, 51 of these offices were held by Democrats, 38 were held by Republicans, and the remaining 4 positions were held by non partisan or Independent officers . After the election, Democrats hold 49 (net loss of 2 seats), Republicans 42 (net gain of 4 seats), and Independents/non partisans only 1 (loss of 3).
  • Of the 69 incumbents who ran for election in 2012, 7 were defeated-6 Democrat and 1 Republican. Democratic Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau narrowly escaped that fate, having had to wait for her challenger to cancel a self-financed recount on December 11, 2012 before being named the official winner.[5]
  • Out of 25 total open seats, 13 were won by Democrats, 11 went to Republican, and 1 went to an Independent (nonpartisan) candidate. In all, there are 34 new state executives as a result of the election. That number could become 35 if the Montana recount results show Juneau's challenger, Republican Sandy Welch, is the winner.
  • From the gubernatorial perspective, after the November 2012 election, there are 30 Republican and 19 Democratic governors.[6] If the GOP had taken five governor seats from Democrats on November 6, that would have given the party 34 -- the most for Republicans since 1922. As of December 2012, the number of Democratic governors in the country is at its lowest since 2001.
2012 State Executive Election Partisan Breakdown
Party Before 2012 Election After 2012 Election Net Change
Democratic 51 50 -1
Republican 38 43 +5
Independent (Nonpartisan) 4 1 -3
TOTALS 931 vacant 94
2012 State Executive Election Analysis
Party Open Seat Winners Defeated Incumbents New State Executives
Democratic 13 6 15
Republican 11 1 18
Independent (Nonpartisan) 1 0 1
TOTALS 25 7 34

See also

Washington

Footnotes

Ballotpedia News

  1. ↑ Spokesman Review, "Democrat Inslee will be Washington governor," November 9, 2012
  2. ↑ Seattle Post Intelligencer, "It looks like Inslee," November 9, 2012
  3. ↑ Washington Policy Center, "State Auditor Brian Sonntag to retire," September 12, 2011
  4. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2012 Official Election Results," December 6, 2012 (dead link)
  5. ↑ The Missoulian, "Welch drops request for recount in school superintendent race," December 12, 2012
  6. ↑ NPR "Republican Governors Gear Up For Election Gains," October 18, 2012
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