News and analysis right to your inbox. Click to get Ballotpedia’s newsletters!

Washington's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 top-two primary)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • Municipal • All other local • How to run for office
Flag of Washington.png


2026
2022
Washington's 6th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Top-two primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 10, 2024
Primary: August 6, 2024
General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m.
Voting in Washington
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Democratic
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Washington's 6th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th
Washington elections, 2024
U.S. Congress elections, 2024
U.S. Senate elections, 2024
U.S. House elections, 2024

A top-two primary took place on August 6, 2024, in Washington's 6th Congressional District to determine which two candidates would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Emily Randall and Drew MacEwen advanced from the primary for U.S. House Washington District 6.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
May 10, 2024
August 6, 2024
November 5, 2024



Washington uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, for congressional and state-level elections. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.[1][2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Washington's 6th Congressional District's top-two primary. For more in-depth information on the district's general election, see the following page:

Candidates and election results


Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Washington District 6

Emily Randall and Drew MacEwen defeated Hilary Franz, Janis Clark, and J. Graham Ralston in the primary for U.S. House Washington District 6 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Emily Randall
Emily Randall (D)
 
34.3
 
80,249
Image of Drew MacEwen
Drew MacEwen (R)
 
30.2
 
70,513
Image of Hilary Franz
Hilary Franz (D)
 
24.7
 
57,824
Image of Janis Clark
Janis Clark (R)
 
7.6
 
17,665
Image of J. Graham Ralston
J. Graham Ralston (Independent Party) Candidate Connection
 
3.1
 
7,235
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
188

Total votes: 233,674
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of J. Graham Ralston

WebsiteFacebookX

Party: Independent Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography "As a fifth-generation resident of Clallam County, I have a profound connection to our district and a deep understanding of both its challenges and opportunities. My great-great grandfather first arrived at Port Townsend in 1889 and went on to serve as the first superior court judge of Clallam County. I hope to continue this legacy of service as an independent, prioritizing people before party. With over seven years of senior federal experience in Washington, DC, I served as the youngest senior executive leading a national small business program at the U.S. Department of Transportation. This role involved direct collaborations with White House staff, Members of Congress, and various stakeholders, empowering me to effectively address national issues from infrastructure to economic development. Returning to Port Angeles in 2019, I established Ralston Law, focusing on estate planning and business law, and provided vital legal support to local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. My campaign prioritizes addressing inflation, economic stability, and improved healthcare for all residents. As the only candidate with extensive experience in DC and a solid grounding in our local issues, I offer a balanced approach to governance. I pledge to put people over politics, focusing solely on the best interests of the residents of the 6th District and not of corporate or party interests."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Fighting inflation and taxes Inflation is an additional tax that you're being forced to pay. Standard items for living are up over 20% in the last two years. I will tackle inflation head-on and fight for tax relief that energizes our economy and puts money back in your pocket. By advocating for efficient government spending and supporting policies that stimulate job growth and local businesses, we can build a stronger, more resilient 6th District.


Jobs and economy I have experience as a current small business owner and I led the U.S. Department of Transportation's small business office for over 7 years. My experience being hands on and knowledge of Government benefits and programs provides a unique advantage over other candidates to deliver value to the people and businesses of the 6th district.


Healthcare Affordable, accessible healthcare is a right, not a privilege. I will work tirelessly to lower healthcare costs, expand coverage options, and improve the quality of care for all residents of the 6th District. Together, we can ensure that no one has to choose between their health and their financial security. When we remove corruption from DC, we can get sensible policies in place for healthcare.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Washington District 6 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Washington

Election information in Washington: Aug. 6, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 6, 2024
  • By mail: Received by July 29, 2024
  • Online: July 29, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: N/A
  • By mail: N/A by N/A
  • Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 6, 2024
  • By mail: Postmarked by Aug. 6, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

July 19, 2024 to Aug. 6, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Hilary Franz Democratic Party $1,531,302 $1,531,302 $0 As of December 31, 2024
Emily Randall Democratic Party $1,978,943 $1,951,071 $27,872 As of December 31, 2024
Janis Clark Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Drew MacEwen Republican Party $255,580 $255,580 $0 As of December 31, 2024
J. Graham Ralston Independent Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_wa_congressional_district_06.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Washington.

Washington U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office Districts/
offices
Seats Open seats Candidates Possible primaries Contested top-two primaries % of contested primaries Incumbents in contested primaries % of incumbents in contested primaries
2024 10 10 2 62 10 10 100.0% 8 100.0%
2022 10 10 0 68 10 10 100.0% 10 100.0%
2020 10 10 1 73 10 10 100.0% 9 100.0%
2018 10 10 1 49 10 8 80.0% 7 77.8%
2016 10 10 1 56 10 10 100.0% 9 100.0%
2014 10 10 1 49 10 10 100.0% 9 100.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Washington in 2024. Information below was calculated on June 4, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Sixty-two candidates ran for Washington’s 10 U.S. House districts, including 26 Democrats, 25 Republicans, three Independents, and eight non-major party candidates. That’s an average of 6.2 candidates per district. That’s lower than the 6.8 candidates per district in 2022 and the 7.3 in 2020.

The 5th and 6th Congressional Districts were open in 2024, meaning no incumbents ran for re-election. That’s the most open districts in an election cycle this decade.

Incumbent Reps. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-05) and Derek Kilmer (D-06) did not run for re-election because they retired from public office.

Eleven candidates—five Democrats and six Republicans—ran for the open 5th Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a seat in Washington in 2024.

All 10 primaries were contested in 2024. Between 2022 and 2014, an average of 9.6 primaries were contested per year.

Eight incumbents—seven Democrats and one Republican—were in contested primaries in 2024. Between 2022 and 2014, an average of 8.8 incumbents were in contested primaries per year.

No districts were guaranteed to either party because Democratic and Republican candidates filed to run in all 10 districts. Washington utilizes a top-two primary system. In a top-two primary system, all candidates are listed on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+6. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 6 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Washington's 6th the 156th most Democratic district nationally.[3]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Washington's 6th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
57.1% 39.9%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.[4] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline Democratic Party Republican Baseline Republican Party Difference
54.8 44.4 R+10.3

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Washington, 2020

Washington presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 17 Democratic wins
  • 13 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winning Party R R R P[5] D R R R D D D D D R R R D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D
See also: Party control of Washington state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Washington's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Washington
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 8 10
Republican 0 2 2
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 10 12

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Washington's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Washington, May 2024
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Jay Inslee
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Denny Heck
Secretary of State Democratic Party Steve Hobbs
Attorney General Democratic Party Bob Ferguson

State legislature

Washington State Senate

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 29
     Republican Party 20
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 49

Washington House of Representatives

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 58
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 98

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

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[6] 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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Washington in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Washington U.S. House Ballot-qualified candidates 1,740[7] $1,740.00 5/10/2024 Source 1
Source 2
Washington U.S. House Unaffiliated candidates 1,740[7] $1,740.00 5/10/2024 Source 1
Source 2

See also

External links

Footnotes


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
Democratic Party (10)
Republican Party (2)