Sharon Hanek
Sharon Hanek (Republican Party) ran for election for Washington Treasurer. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Hanek was raised on U.S. military bases in Japan before her family settled down in Washington. She attended the University of Washington, where she earned a B.A. in business administration and accounting. As a college student, Hanek was President of an international business students organization (AIESEC) and interned at an accounting firm in Europe. Following graduation, Hanek became a licensed CPA and later founded her own private practice. In 1998, she diverted her CPA practice to focus on tax and financial advising for small businesses and individual clients.[1]
Education
- B.A. in business administration and accounting, University of Washington
- Certified public accountant
Elections
2024
See also: Washington Treasurer election, 2024
General election
General election for Washington Treasurer
Incumbent Mike Pellicciotti defeated Sharon Hanek in the general election for Washington Treasurer on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mike Pellicciotti (D) | 57.3 | 2,148,764 |
 | Sharon Hanek (R) | 42.6 | 1,600,370 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 3,261 | ||
| Total votes: 3,752,395 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington Treasurer
Incumbent Mike Pellicciotti and Sharon Hanek advanced from the primary for Washington Treasurer on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Pellicciotti (D) | 58.3 | 1,118,500 |
| ✔ | | Sharon Hanek (R) | 41.6 | 797,824 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 1,684 | ||
| Total votes: 1,918,008 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election campaign finance
The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. View each candidates’ loan totals, if any, by clicking “View More” in the table below and learn more about this data here.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[2][3][4]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hanek in this election.
2012
Hanek was a Republican candidate for treasurer in 2012. She was defeated by incumbent James McIntire (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012. Hanek ran a successful write-in campaign for State Treasurer in the primary election on August 7th, earning herself a place on the general election ballot alongside long-serving Democratic officeholder Jim McIntire.[5] Hanek's write-in victory marked the first time in three decades that a statewide candidate cleared the 1% vote rule required of top-two primary write-in candidates to advance to the general election. She earned over 31,000, coming to 3.4%, of the votes.[6][5]
| Washington Treasurer General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  James 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 | ||||
Endorsements
| Endorsement List:[7] | |
|---|---|
| |
2008
| Washington House of Representatives, District 31-Position 2 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Christopher Hurst (D)
|
32,405 | 58.69% | ||
| Sharon Hanek (R) | 22,806 | 41.31% | ||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sharon Hanek did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Candidate statement
Hanek provided the following candidate statement for the Washington State voter guide:
| “ |
As your State Treasurer, I will advocate for the protection of our state’s assets and ensure retirement accounts make sound investments. I will strive to make the accounting system transparent and accountable to citizens. With my professional expertise, I will scrutinize the books and challenge the legislature to exercise greater caution in tax and spending decisions. As a CPA, I have dedicated my career to helping clients preserve their bottom lines, reduce taxes, and securing their futures. I developed and taught a financial literacy class to junior high students and testified before the legislature against raising taxes and over-regulating our businesses. My experience includes advising taxpayers and businesses in our community on wise investments and job creation. In an era of job uncertainty, rising prices, and constant demands for education funding, Olympia’s typical solution is to raise taxes and fees. My approach is to account for past expenditures and prioritize sensibly. I will be the accountant Treasurer who leads our state into a new era of fiscal responsibility. Vote to preserve our fiscal future. Vote for accountability. Vote for Sharon Hanek. [8] |
” |
| —Sharon Hanek (2024)[9] | ||
2012
Hanek's campaign emphasized her background as an accountant who had helped conservative candidates manage their campaign finance reports made to the state Public Disclosure Commission. She described herself as a “Christian conservative,” and she discussed her campaign's priorities in interviews and on her official campaign website. They included:[10][11]
- Transparency
Hanek's campaign website stated, "As State Treasurer I believe that the accounting system should be transparent and relevant data should be easily accessible to both decision makers and citizens and I will advocate for such a system."[11]
- Education
Hanek advocated for different standardized tests than the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. She also wanted to investigate how state money was disbursed for technology in schools.[6]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Hanek resides in Bonney Lake, Washington. She is the mother of three children.[5]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Sharon Hanek Official Campaign Website, "Sharon Hanek Biography," accessed September 17, 2012
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Patch.com, 'Bonney Lake mom successfully launches write-in campaign to get on ballot for state treasurer," September 17, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Seattle Times, "Write-in candidate makes it onto ballot in state treasurer's race," September 17, 2012
- ↑ Sharon Hanek Campaign Website, "Endorsements," accessed September 27, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ VoteWA.gov, “Sharon Hanek,” accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ The Tacoma News Tribune, "Bonney Lake mom on state ballot after write-in campaign," September 17, 2012
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sharon Hanek Official Campaign Website, "Issues," accessed September 17, 2012
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