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Washington Natural Resources Commissioner election, 2016
2020 →
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August 2, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Hilary Franz (D) |
Peter Goldmark (D) |
Governor • Lt. Governor Attorney General • Secretary of State Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor • Insurance Commissioner Natural Resources Commissioner Superintendent of Schools |
May 20, 2016 |
August 2, 2016 |
October 21, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
TBD |
Washington held an election for commissioner of public lands on November 8, 2016, with a primary on August 2. Hilary Franz (D) defeated her opponent, Steve McLaughlin (R) in the November general election.
Overview
The Washington commissioner of public lands is the head of the Department of Natural Resources, which manages $5.6 million acres of public land. The state's outdoor recreation and ecotourism industries, which generate over $1 billion annually in tax revenue, rely on the conservation and maintenance of the 2.2 million acres available for public recreation.
Five Democrats, one Republican, and one Libertarian competed in the August 2 top-two primary election: environmental attorney Hilary Franz (D), professor Karen Porterfield (D), former state Rep. and King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove (D), former Mayor of Spokane and Department of Natural Resources employee Mary Verner (D), general contractor John Stillings (D), former naval commander and homeland security expert Steve McLaughlin (R), and aerospace engineer Steven Nielson (Lib.).
Heading into the primary election, Franz had a slight fundraising lead, reporting over $150,000 in contributions as of July 20, 2016. Porterfield and Upthegrove were not far behind, at about $109,000 and $112,000 respectively; Upthegrove and Franz both earned several key endorsements. McLaughlin and Franz placed first and second respectively in the August 2 primary election and competed in the November general election.
Given the open election and recent history of Republicans winning election to this office, the seat was considered vulnerable to a shift in party control in 2016.
Candidates
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| Click [show] to the right to view candidates who were defeated in the primary election. | |||||||
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Results
General election
Hilary Franz defeated Steve McLaughlin in the Washington commissioner of public lands election.
| Washington Natural Resources Commissioner, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Hilary Franz |
53.16% | 1,630,369 | |
| Republican | Steve McLaughlin | 46.84% | 1,436,817 | |
| Total Votes | 3,067,186 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
The following candidates ran in the Washington primary for natural resources commissioner.
| Washington primary for natural resources commissioner, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Steve McLaughlin |
37.95% | 494,416 | |
| Democratic | Hilary Franz |
22.80% | 297,074 | |
| Democratic | Dave Upthegrove | 14.12% | 183,976 | |
| Democratic | Mary Verner | 12.25% | 159,564 | |
| Libertarian | Steven Nielson | 4.84% | 63,056 | |
| Democratic | Karen Porterfield | 4.74% | 61,710 | |
| Democratic | John Stillings | 3.31% | 43,129 | |
| Total Votes | 1,302,925 | |||
| 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.[1][2][3]
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.[4]
Incumbent Peter Goldmark (D)
Goldmark was first elected in 2008, unseating Republican incumbent Doug Sutherland by a margin of about one percent. He won re-election in 2012 against challenger Clint Didier (R) by a comfortable 17 point margin. In 2009, Goldmark was the subject of a recall attempt that was filed by open government activist Arthur West. The petition was ultimately dismissed by an Okanagon County Superior Court judge.
The owner of a 7000-acre ranch in Okanagon County, Goldmark was also the founder and chief scientist of DJR Research, Inc., a biotechnology research laboratory. He has served numerous appointments to commissions and councils within the state government, and was a member of the Okanagon School Board from 1998 to 2005.
Party control in Washington
Going into the 2016 elections, Washington had a divided government: Democrats controlled the governorship and also held a two-seat majority in the House of Representatives. Republicans gained control of the state Senate in the 2014 elections by a one-seat majority, ending 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 greatly after the November elections.
Both of Washington's U.S. Senate seats have been occupied by Democrats since 2001, and the state's electoral votes have gone to the Democratic presidential candidate every election cycle since 1988.[5]
The office of commissioner of public lands in Washington was largely controlled by Democrats since the 1930s, though Republicans had held the office as recently as 2009. Republican Doug Sutherland won an open election for the office in 2000, and was unseated by Peter Goldmark (D) in the 2008 election. Brian Boyle (R) narrowly defeated six-term incumbent Bert Cole (D) in the 1980 election by a margin of 1.3 percent; Boyle left office in 1992. Prior to Boyle, the last Republican to hold the seat left office in 1933.
Given the open election and recent history of Republicans winning election to this office, the seat was seen as vulnerable to a shift in party control in 2016.
Campaigns
Debates
July 11, 2016, primary debate
All seven candidates for commissioner of public land debated on July 11, 2016, in Olympia. The event was the first of three planned debates hosted by the League of Women's Voters.
Click here to watch the full video of this debate
July 18, 2016, primary debate
Candidates for commissioner of public lands debated on July 18, 2016, in Bellingham. The event was the second of three planned debates hosted by the League of Women's Voters.
Campaign finance
General election
| Hilary Franz Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of November 4, 2016 | $ | $475,543.17 | $(420,570.41) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $475,543.17 | $(420,570.41) | ||||||||
| Steve McLaughlin Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of November 4, 2016 | $ | $494,538.83 | $(394,427.96) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $494,538.83 | $(394,427.96) | ||||||||
Primary election candidates
| Karen Porterfield Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $128,922.44 | $(106,380.56) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $128,922.44 | $(106,380.56) | ||||||||
| John Stillings Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $0 | $(0) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $0 | $(0) | ||||||||
| Dave Upthegrove Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $127,452.43 | $(108,382.64) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $127,452.43 | $(108,382.64) | ||||||||
| Mary Verner Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $33,736.40 | $(23,617.79) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $33,736.4 | $(23,617.79) | ||||||||
| Steven Nielson Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $3,045.04 | $(2,581.84) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $3,045.04 | $(2,581.84) | ||||||||
Endorsements
| Key endorsements, primary candidates (2 of 2) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Verner (D) | Steve McLaughlin (R) | Steven Nielson (Lib.) | |||||||
| Former Commissioner of Public Lands Jennifer Belcher (D) | Washington Farm Bureau | Libertarian Party of Washington executive committee | |||||||
| 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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| Steven Nielson (Lib.) |    
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About the office
The Washington commissioner of public lands is the head of the state Department of Natural Resources, which manages about 5.6 million acres of public lands—2.2 million of which are used for public recreation—monitors cleanup and restoration efforts from mining operations, and operates the largest fire department in the state. The outdoor recreation and ecotourism industries are major revenue streams for the state, which is renowned for its plentiful rainfall and abundance of greenery, and the conservation and maintenance of public lands are key factors in their success. The Outdoor Industry Association reported that in 2011 and 2012, outdoor recreation generated about $1.6 billion annually in tax revenue for state and local governments and $7.1 billion in wages and salaries for Washingtonians.[6]
Incumbent
The incumbent was Peter Goldmark (D). He was first elected in 2009.[7]
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
Authority
Article 3 of the Washington 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. |
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.
Full history
To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of Washington Commissioner of Public Lands, click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2012 Incumbent Peter Goldmark (D) won re-election on November 6, 2012.
On November 4, 2008, Peter J. Goldmark won election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. He defeated Doug Sutherland (R) in the general election.
2004 On November 2, 2004, Doug Sutherland won re-election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. He defeated Mike Cooper (D) and Steve Layman (L) in the general election.
2000 On November 7, 2000, Doug Sutherland won election to the office of Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. He defeated Mike Lowry (D) and Steve Layman (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 Commissioner of public lands 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, "Historical election results," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ Outdoor Industry Association, "The Outdoor Recreation Economy," accessed July 20, 2016
- ↑ Washington State Department of Natural Resources, "Home," accessed April 28, 2015
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