Washington's 5th Congressional District election (August 7, 2018 top-two primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 8 (mail or online), or Oct. 29 (in-person)
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: N/A (Washington conducts all elections by mail)
- Poll times: N/A
2020 →
← 2016
|
| Washington's 5th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Top-two primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: May 18, 2018 |
| Primary: August 7, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: No polling hours (vote-by-mail) Voting in Washington |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Likely Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th Washington elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
A top-two primary election took place on August 7, 2018, in Washington's 5th District to determine which two candidates would earn the right to compete in the district's November 6, 2018, general election.
Washington utilizes a top-two primary system, which allows all candidates to run and all voters to vote but only moves the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, to the general election.[1][2][3]
Two candidates ran for the seat. This page focuses on the top-two primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here.
Candidates and election results
Incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Lisa Brown defeated Dave Saulibio, Jered Gavin Bonneau, and Kari Ilonummi in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 5 on August 7, 2018.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 5
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) | 49.3 | 99,689 |
| ✔ |  | Lisa Brown (D) | 45.4 | 91,738 |
 | Dave Saulibio (Trump Populist Party) | 2.4 | 4,845 | |
 | Jered Gavin Bonneau (R) | 2.2 | 4,453 | |
| Kari Ilonummi (R) | 0.7 | 1,507 | ||
| Total votes: 202,232 | |||
 = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Krystol McGee (L)
- Eric Agnew (Independent)
- Matthew Sutherland (D)
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+8, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 8 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Washington's 5th Congressional District the 168th most Republican nationally.[4]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.17. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.17 points toward that party.[5]
Campaign finance
The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly October 2017 reports. It includes only candidates who reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of September 30, 2017.[6]
Democrats
Republicans
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Washington heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in Washington.
- Democrats held six of 10 U.S. House seats in Washington.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Democrats held six of 8 state executive positions, Republicans held two, and the remaining positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Washington was Democrat Jay Inslee. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 3, 2020.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled both chambers of the Washington State Legislature. They had a 50-48 majority in the state House and a 26-23 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Washington was a Democratic trifecta, meaning that the Democrats controlled the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate.
2018 elections
- See also: Washington elections, 2018
Washington held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- 10 U.S. House seats
- 25 of 49 state Senate seats
- 98 state House seats
- Municipal elections in Seattle
Demographics
| Demographic data for Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Washington | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 7,160,290 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 66,456 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 77.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 7.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 5.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 12% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,062 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 14.4% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Washington. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
As of July 2016, Washington's three largest cities were Seattle (pop. est. 724,745), Spokane (pop. est. 217,108), and Tacoma (pop. est. 213,418).[7][8]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Washington from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Washington Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Washington every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Washington 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Hillary Clinton |
54.3% | Donald Trump |
38.1% | 16.2% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
51.2% | Mitt Romney |
41.2% | 10.0% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
57.6% | John McCain |
40.5% | 17.1% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
52.8% | George W. Bush |
45.6% | 7.2% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
50.2% | George W. Bush |
44.6% | 5.8% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Washington from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Washington 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Patty Murray |
59.0% | Chris Vance |
40.1% | 18.9% |
| 2012 | Maria Cantwell |
60.4% | Michael Baumgartner |
39.5% | 20.9% |
| 2010 | Patty Murray |
52.4% | Dino Rossi |
47.6% | 4.8% |
| 2006 | Maria Cantwell |
56.9% | Michael McGavick |
39.9% | 17.0% |
| 2004 | Patty Murray |
55.0% | George R. Nethercutt, Jr. |
44.7% | 10.3% |
| 2000 | Maria Cantwell |
48.7% | Slade Gorton |
48.6% | 0.1% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Washington.
| Election results (Governor), Washington 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Jay Inslee |
54.4% | Bill Bryant |
45.6% | 8.8% |
| 2012 | Jay Inslee |
51.5% | Rob McKenna |
48.6% | 0.9% |
| 2008 | Christine Gregoire |
53.2% | Dino Rossi |
46.8% | 6.4% |
| 2004 | Christine Gregoire |
48.9% | Dino Rossi |
48.9% | 0.0% |
| 2000 | Gary Locke |
58.4% | John Carlson |
39.7% | 7.1% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Washington in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Washington 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 4 |
40% | 6 |
60% | D+2 |
| 2014 | 4 |
40% | 6 |
60% | D+2 |
| 2012 | 4 |
44.4% | 5 |
55.5% | D+1 |
| 2010 | 4 |
44.4% | 5 |
55.5% | D+1 |
| 2008 | 3 |
33.3% | 6 |
66.7% | D+2 |
| 2006 | 3 |
33.3% | 6 |
66.7% | D+2 |
| 2004 | 3 |
33.3% | 6 |
66.7% | D+2 |
| 2002 | 3 |
33.3% | 6 |
66.7% | D+2 |
| 2000 | 3 |
33.3% | 6 |
66.7% | D+2 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Washington Party Control: 1992-2024
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R[9] | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | S | S | S | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2018
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
- United States Senate elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ FEC, "Federal Election Commission," accessed November 5, 2017
- ↑ Washington Demographics, "Washington Cities by Population," accessed December 11, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Washington," accessed December 11, 2017
- ↑ Democrats gained full control of the state Senate after a special election on November 7, 2017.
