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Washington Auditor election, 2016
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August 2, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Pat McCarthy (D) |
Troy Kelley (D) |
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May 20, 2016 |
August 2, 2016 |
October 21, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
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Washington held an election for auditor on November 8, 2016, with a primary on August 2. Pat McCarthy (D) defeated Mark Miloscia (R), keeping the auditor's office in Democratic hands.
Overview
Prior to the election, Washington voters had elected Democratic auditors since 1932, often by considerable margins. In the 2012 election, longtime incumbent Auditor Brian Sonntag (D) retired. Fellow Democrat Troy Kelley won the election by over 5 percent of the vote, which was a larger margin of victory than Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee won in the same year.
Kelley's margin of victory was much smaller than the 20 to 30 percent margins of victory that Sonntag had consistently won since 1996.[1] Democrats distanced themselves from Kelley after he was investigated and indicted by a federal grand jury.[2] The jury acquitted Kelley of one charge and was hung on the remaining 13, but he did not run for re-election.
The sole Republican candidate to file—state Senator Mark Miloscia—served in the state house as a Democrat for 14 years before his 2014 election to the state senate as a Republican. The 2016 election for auditor may have been Republicans' best chance in decades to regain control of the seat. Miloscia and former Pierce County supervisor Pat McCarthy placed first and second respectively in the August primary election and competed in the general election. McCarthy defeated Miloscia on November 8, 2016.
Washington had a divided government both before and after the election. Ballotpedia identified both chambers of the state legislature as battleground chambers in the 2016 elections, but control of the chambers did not change. After the election, Democrats held the governorship and a majority in the state house; Republicans held a majority in the state senate due to a Democratic senator who decided to caucus with the Republicans.
Candidates
 Most recent position: Pierce County Supervisor, 2008-2016 Past experience: Pierce County Auditor[3] |
 Most recent position: Washington State Senator (2015-present) Past experience: Washington State Representative (D), 1999-2013 |
| Click [show] to the right to view candidates who were defeated in the primary election. | ||||
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Results
General election
Pat McCarthy defeated Mark Miloscia in the Washington auditor election.
| Washington Auditor, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Pat McCarthy |
52.31% | 1,597,011 | |
| Republican | Mark Miloscia | 47.69% | 1,455,771 | |
| Total Votes | 3,052,782 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
Note: Washington utilizes a mail-in ballot system. Results were not finalized until 14 days after the primary election.[5]
Mark Miloscia and Pat McCarthy defeated Jeff Sprung, Mark Wilson, and David Golden in the Washington primary for auditor.
| Washington primary for auditor, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mark Miloscia |
36.71% | 481,910 | |
| Democratic | Pat McCarthy |
29.09% | 381,828 | |
| Democratic | Jeff Sprung | 23.94% | 314,290 | |
| Independent | Mark Wilson | 7.39% | 96,972 | |
| Unaffiliated | David Golden | 2.87% | 37,727 | |
| Total Votes | 1,312,727 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should appear on the general election ballot. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Washington utilizes a top-two primary, in which a single primary election is held for each office wherein all candidates running for that office, regardless of party affiliation, compete in the same election. The two candidates receiving the most votes move on to the general election; all voters may vote in the primary for any candidate. In this type of primary, it is possible for both candidates in the general election to belong to the same political party. The general election also mimics a runoff election in that the two candidates who compete already competed against each other in the primary election.[6][7][8]
Washington's primary elections took place on August 2, 2016. The state utilizes a mail-in ballot system, and all ballots were required to be postmarked or left in a designated dropbox by 8 p.m. on election day. Ballots were mailed to registered voters 18 days prior to the election, and preliminary results were released at 8 p.m. on election day. While some races were called by the media on election day, official results were not certified by the Washington secretary of state until 14 days after the election, which, in 2016, was on August 16.[9]
Incumbent
- See also: Troy Kelley
Troy Kelley (D) was elected auditor in 2012 by a close, but comfortable margin of about 5 percent. In March 2015, Kelley became the subject of a federal investigation into his past business dealings. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 16, 2015, on a total of 15 counts, including possession of stolen property, as well as false declaration in and attempted obstruction of a civil lawsuit. Within 24 hours of his indictment, top officials in the state, including fellow Democrats Attorney General Bob Ferguson and State Treasurer Jim McIntire called for his resignation.[2] Although he did not resign, Kelley announced that he would not seek re-election in 2016.[10][11][12][13]
Kelley pleaded not guilty to the charges but took a leave of absence from May 4th to December 18th to mount his legal defense.[12][14][15] On April 26, 2016, a federal jury acquitted Kelley of one of the charges and could not agree on verdicts for the other 14 counts. Prosecutors announced that they would retry Kelley on the counts on which the jury deadlocked; however, the trial date was set for after Kelley's term as auditor expired.[16]
Party control
Washington had a divided government entering the 2016 election. Democrats controlled the governorship and also held a two-seat majority in the state house. Republicans gained control of the state senate in the 2014 elections by a one-seat majority, which ended a seven-year Democratic trifecta. Ballotpedia identified both chambers of the state legislature as battleground chambers in the 2016 elections. Party control of state government had the potential to shift after the November elections, but did not. Democrats retained control of the governorship and the state house. Democrats also gained a one-seat majority in the state senate, but did not take control of the chamber due to a Democratic senator who decided to caucus with the Republicans. Republicans thereby maintained control of the state senate, which resulted in the continuation of the state's divided government.
Democratic candidate Pat McCarthy defeated Mark Miloscia (R) to win the state auditor's office in 2016. The state of Washington had not had a Republican auditor since longtime Auditor C.W. Clausen was defeated in his bid for re-election by Cliff Yelle (D) in 1932. However, during the 80 years of Democratic control between 1933 and 2013, the office was only held by three individuals: Cliff Yelle (1933-1965), Robert V. Graham (1965-1993), and Brian Sonntag (1993-2013). In the 2016 election, Democrats did not have the incumbency advantage that they had in most auditor elections since 1936.[1]
Neither Democratic candidate for the state auditor position had previously held a state-level public office. Republican candidate Mark Miloscia was a 16-year member of the state legislature prior to the election. He had served in the state house as a Democrat for 14 years before winning election to the state senate as a Republican in 2014.
Incumbent Troy Kelley (D), who did not seek re-election in 2016, received a federal indictment on 14 counts, which included perjury and possession of stolen property. Kelley declined to step down from office after calls for his resignation came from Democratic officials across the state, including from Governor Jay Inslee (D). In April 2016, he was acquitted of one charge; the jury deadlocked on the other 13. Prosecutors announced plans to retry Kelley after his term as auditor concluded.
Campaigns
Race background
Candidate field
Before incumbent Troy Kelley had formally announced that he would not seek re-election, fellow Democrats Jeff Sprung and Pat McCarthy announced their candidacies for the office. Sprung was an attorney based in Seattle. McCarthy was the Pierce County executive and the former county auditor.[17]
State Senator Mark Miloscia was the only Republican candidate running for auditor in the 2016 election. Elected to the state Senate in 2014, Miloscia had previously served in the state House as a Democrat since 1999. He also previously ran for auditor in 2012 as a Democrat, but failed to move on to the general election, receiving only 9.8 percent of the votes in the 2012 primary. He changed party affiliation for his 2014 senatorial bid.
Sen. Miloscia had been a leading critic of Auditor Troy Kelley since the federal government began investigating Kelley in 2015. As the investigation continued, Miloscia called for greater transparency, saying, "The people and voters of this state deserve an explanation so we can understand the reason for these events and be able to make our own decisions about what it means or choose to investigate further. This must happen very quickly if we’re going to keep public trust in our government."[18] Since Kelley was acquitted, Miloscia proposed to defund the auditor's office for as long as Kelley remained in charge.[19]
Mark Wilson filed to run for auditor as an Independent Party candidate. Wilson is an accountant who specializes in fraud examination and financial investigation. In explaining his decision to run as an independent, Wilson said:
| “ | A professional auditor must remain truly independent and objective in his or her work. Because of this I have advocated that the Washington State Auditor needs to be a 'non-partisan' position.[20][21] | ” |
David Golden also filed to run for auditor, but unlike the other candidates, he did not state a party preference.[22]
Campaign finance
General election candidates
| Pat McCarthy Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of November 4, 2016 | $ | $163,743.80 | $(143,970.53) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $163,743.8 | $(143,970.53) | ||||||||
| Mark Miloscia Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of November 4, 2016 | $ | $185,289.19 | $(174,485.40) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $185,289.19 | $(174,485.4) | ||||||||
Primary candidates
| Jeff Sprung Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $282,783.21 | $(236,966.15) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $282,783.21 | $(236,966.15) | ||||||||
| David Golden Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $1,254.59 | $(1,204.59) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,254.59 | $(1,204.59) | ||||||||
Endorsements
| Key endorsements, Democratic candidates[23][24] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat McCarthy (D) | Jeff Sprung (D) | ||||||||
| Former Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (D) | Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) | ||||||||
| Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn (D) | Planned Parenthood | ||||||||
| Speaker of the Washington House of Representatives Frank Chopp (D) | NARAL Pro-Choice Washington | ||||||||
| U.S. Congressman Denny Heck (D) | Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO | ||||||||
| U.S. Congressman Derek Kilmer (D) | Washington Education Association | ||||||||
| Seattle Mayor Ed Murray (D) | Washington State Progressive Caucus | ||||||||
| EMILY's List | The Seattle Times | ||||||||
| IBEW Local 483 | Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council | ||||||||
| What is a key endorsement? | |||||||||
| Key endorsements, Republican candidates[25] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Miloscia (R) | |||||||||
| Washington Senate President Pro Tempore Pam Roach (R) | |||||||||
| Washington Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler (R) | |||||||||
| Washington House Minority Leader Dan Kristiansen (R) | |||||||||
| Former Attorney General of Washington and 2012 gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna (R) | |||||||||
| Former Secretary of State of Washington Sam Reed (R) | |||||||||
| Tacoma News Tribune | |||||||||
| Mainstream Republicans of Washington | |||||||||
| Teamsters Local 117 | |||||||||
| What is a key endorsement? | |||||||||
Campaign media
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!
Democrats
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Republicans
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| Mark Wilson (Ind.) | 
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Know of a candidate's campaign site not listed? Tell us!
About the office
- See also: Washington State Auditor
Incumbent
The incumbent was Troy Kelley (D). Jan Jutte had previously assumed the office on an interim basis on May 4, 2015, as Kelley (D) went on unpaid leave to fight federal charges. Kelley returned to work in December 2015 despite objections from state officials. His trial began on March 14, 2016.[14] First elected in 2012, Kelley began serving as auditor in January 2013. Although he was acquitted on one charge and the jury was deadlocked on the other 14 charges, Kelley did not run for re-election in 2016.[10][26]
Authority
Article 3 of the state constitution establishes the state's executive offices.
Article III, Section 2:
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Executive Department. The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, and a commissioner of public lands, who shall be severally chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the same time and place of voting as for the members of the legislature. |
Qualifications Article 3, Section 25 of the state constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
| Qualifications, Compensation, Offices Which May Be Abolished. No person, except a citizen of the United States and a qualified elector of this state, shall be eligible to hold any state office... |
- a citizen of the United States
- a qualified elector in Washington
Past elections
In Washington, the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and commissioner of public lands are elected every four years. Elections are held in November and winners assume office the following January, serving until their successors are elected and qualified. Washington elects their state executives in presidential years including 2016, 2020 and 2024.
To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of Washington Auditor, click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2012 Troy Kelley (D) defeated James Watkins (R) for the open seat of Washington State Auditor in the general election on November 6, 2012.
On November 4, 2008, Brian Sonntag won re-election to the office of Washington Auditor. He defeated J. Richard (Dick) McEntee (R) in the general election.
2004 On November 2, 2004, Brian Sonntag won re-election to the office of Washington Auditor. He defeated Will Baker (R) and Jason G. Bush (L) in the general election.
2000 On November 7, 2000, Brian Sonntag won re-election to the office of Washington Auditor. He defeated Richard McEntee (R) and Chris Caputo (L) in the general election.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington state Auditor election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
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Washington government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Election Search Results," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Spokesman-Review, "Spin Control: Ousting state auditor Troy Kelley may be difficult," April 19, 2015
- ↑ Elect Pat McCarthy State Auditor, "About," accessed July 15, 2016
- ↑ Jeff Sprung, "Meet Jeff," accessed July 15, 2016
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "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.
- ↑ Secretary of State Kim Wyman, "Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail," accessed August 4, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The News Tribune, "No recall for Auditor Troy Kelley," March 3, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedverdict - ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Seattle Times, "Auditor Troy Kelley indicted by feds, pleads not guilty," April 16, 2015
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 42.12.040 Vacancy in partisan elective office — Successor elected — When," accessed April 16, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Seattle Times, "Federal trial starts Monday for indicted State Auditor Troy Kelley," March 12, 2016
- ↑ SFGate, "Auditor Troy Kelley says unpaid leave will start Monday," April 28, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Washington Auditor Troy Kelley to be retried for fraud," May 31, 2016
- ↑ The News Tribune, "Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy to run for state auditor," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ Q13 Fox, "Federal subpoena of State Auditor Troy Kelley’s office seeks records of employee," March 20, 2015
- ↑ The News Tribune, "Impeach Auditor Troy Kelley, don’t punish his staff," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ Wilson for Washington State Auditor (I) "Home," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2016 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ Jeff Sprung, "Endorsements," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ Elect Pat McCarthy State Auditor, "Endorsements," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ Mark Miloscia for Washington State Auditor, "Endorsements," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ Seattle Times, "State Auditor Troy Kelley acquitted of one charge; jury cannot agree on 14 others," accessed April 27, 2016
