Steve Conway
Steve Conway (Democratic Party) is a member of the Washington State Senate, representing District 29. He assumed office in 2011. His current term ends on January 11, 2027.
Conway (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Washington State Senate to represent District 29. He will not appear on the ballot for the primary on August 4, 2026.
Previously, he represented District 29-Position 1 of the Washington House of Representatives from 1992 to 2010.
Conway began serving as State Senate President Pro Tempore in 2025.
On January 21, 2026, Conway announced he would not run for re-election to the Washington State Senate District 29 in 2026.[1]
Biography
Conway holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Oregon. He received his M.A. in history from the University of Oregon and earned his B.A. in history from the University of Portland. He was a Fulbright Fellow at the London School of Economics.
Conway is a retired business agent for Local 81, United Food and Commercial Worker's Union. He has been an instructor for the University of Oregon, visiting professor for Pacific Lutheran University and a labor educator at the Bates Vocational Technical Institute. He also was a coordinator for the Dislocated Worker Program of the United Way of Pierce County.[2]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Conway was assigned to the following committees:
- Health & Long Term Care Committee
- Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs Committee, Vice Chair
- Ways & Means Committee
- Joint Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee
- Legislative Oral History Committee, Chair
2021-2022
Conway was assigned to the following committees:
- Ways & Means Committee
- Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs Committee, Vice chair
- Health & Long Term Care Committee
- Joint Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee
- Legislative Oral History Committee
2019-2020
Conway was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Commerce, Labor & Sports |
| • Health Care |
| • Ways & Means |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Conway served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Commerce & Labor |
| • Health Care |
| • Ways & Means |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Conway served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Commerce & Labor |
| • Governmental Operations |
| • Ways & Means |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Conway served on the following committees:
| Washington committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Health & Long-Term Care, Vice chair |
| • Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection, Vice chair |
| • Ways and Means |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2026
See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on August 4, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington State Senate District 29
Sharlett Mena is running in the primary for Washington State Senate District 29 on August 4, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Sharlett Mena (D) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Steve Conway (D)
Endorsements
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2022
See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Washington State Senate District 29
Incumbent Steve Conway defeated Terry Harder in the general election for Washington State Senate District 29 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steve Conway (D) | 59.0 | 22,622 |
 | Terry Harder (R) | 40.8 | 15,631 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 70 | ||
| Total votes: 38,323 | |||
| = 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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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington State Senate District 29
Incumbent Steve Conway and Terry Harder advanced from the primary for Washington State Senate District 29 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steve Conway (D) | 58.5 | 12,516 |
| ✔ | | Terry Harder (R) | 41.2 | 8,808 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 63 | ||
| Total votes: 21,387 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Washington State Senate District 29
Incumbent Steve Conway defeated Pierre Malebranche in the general election for Washington State Senate District 29 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steve Conway (D) | 63.1 | 23,120 |
| Pierre Malebranche (Independent Party of Washington Party) | 36.9 | 13,538 | ||
| Total votes: 36,658 | |||
| = 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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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington State Senate District 29
Incumbent Steve Conway and Pierre Malebranche advanced from the primary for Washington State Senate District 29 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steve Conway (D) | 67.7 | 11,155 |
| ✔ | Pierre Malebranche (Independent Party of Washington Party) | 32.3 | 5,324 | |
| Total votes: 16,479 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
- See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for 25 districts in the Washington State Senate took place in 2014. A blanket primary election took place on August 5, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2014. Incumbent Steve Conway (D) and Terry Harder (R) were unopposed in the primary. Conway defeated Harder in the general election.[3][4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Steve Conway Incumbent |
58.5% | 13,071 | |
| Republican | Terry Harder | 41.5% | 9,277 | |
| Total Votes | 22,348 | |||
2010
- See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2010
Steve Conway was elected to Washington State Senate District 29, vacated by Rosa Franklin, who is retired.[6]
| Washington State Senate, District 29 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Steve Conway (D)
|
16,987 | 63.38% | ||
| Terry Harder (R) | 9,813 | 36.62% | ||
Marty McClendon ran for the Washington State Senate District Seat 29. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 17, 2010. He defeated Terry Harder (R) in the general election on November 2, 2010.
| Washington State Senate, District 29 Democratic Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Steve Conway (D)
|
7,550 | 56.94% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Democrat Steve Conway won re-election to the Washington House of Representatives, District 29-Position 1 receiving 70.01% of the vote (24,672 votes), defeating Republican Steven T. Cook who received 29.99% of the vote (10,568 votes).
| Washington House of Representatives, District 29-Position 1 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Steve Conway (D)
|
24,672 | 70.01% | ||
| Steven T. Cook (R) | 10,568 | 29.99% | ||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Steve Conway did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Steve Conway did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2025.
- Associated General Contractors of Washington — Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2024.
- Associated General Contractors of Washington — Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Building Industry Association of Washington — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to home building industry issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2023.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2022.
- Associated General Contractors of Washington — Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.
- Building Industry Association of Washington — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to home building industry issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2021.
- Associated General Contractors of Washington — Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.
- Building Industry Association of Washington — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to home building industry issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2020.
- Associated General Contractors of Washington — Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2019.
- Associated General Contractors of Washington — Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.
- Pro-Choice Washington — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2018.
- Associated General Contractors of Washington — Legislators are scored based on their votes on legislation supported by the organization.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2017.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Pro-Choice Washington — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2016.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their stances on small business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Legislators are scored on how they voted on firearm policies.
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2015.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Greater Spokane Incorporated — Legislators from the greater-Spokane area are scored on if they voted for/against funding for projects in the Spokane area.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2014.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Children's Campaign Fund — Legislators are scored on their votes for or against CCF's position.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their stances on small business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2013.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Children's Campaign Fund — Legislators are scored on their votes for or against CCF's position.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their stances on small business issues.
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2012.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Washington Community Action Network — Legislators are scored on their votes on 25 bills identified by WCAN to have "the most direct impact on racial equity."
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WCU's position.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Washington State Legislature in 2011.
- Association of Washington Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the state’s business community.
- Washington Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Washington State Labor Council — Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against WSLC's position.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Conway and his wife, Georgia, have two sons and one granddaughter.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ ‘’Washington State Standard’’, “Veteran Democratic state Sen. Steve Conway to retire from WA Legislature’’, January 21, 2026
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Steve Conway's Biography," accessed April 14, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2014 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "August 5, 2014, Official Primary Results," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Official general election results, 2014," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ The News Tribune, "Conway will run for Franklin's seat," May 4, 2010
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Washington State Senate District 29 2011-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Washington House of Representatives District 29-Position 1 1993-2010 |
Succeeded by - |
