Washington Secretary of State election, 2024 (August 6 top-two primary)
|
← 2020
|
| Washington Secretary of State |
|---|
 |
| Top-two primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: May 10, 2024 |
| Primary: August 6, 2024 General: November 5, 2024 Pre-election incumbent(s): Steve Hobbs (Democratic) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m. Voting in Washington |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2024 Impact of term limits in 2024 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024 |
| Washington executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A top-two primary took place on August 6, 2024, in Washington to determine which candidate would earn the right to run in the state's secretary of state election on November 5, 2024.
Incumbent Steve Hobbs and Dale Whitaker advanced from the primary for Washington Secretary of State.
This page focuses on Washington's top-two Secretary of State primary. For more in-depth information on Washington's Secretary of State general election, see the following page:
Candidates and election results
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington Secretary of State
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steve Hobbs (D) | 48.4 | 930,533 |
| ✔ |  | Dale Whitaker (R) | 36.9 | 709,046 |
 | Marquez Tiggs (D) | 9.7 | 185,628 | |
 | Damon Townsend (No Labels Party)  | 5.0 | 96,586 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 1,534 | ||
| Total votes: 1,923,327 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Phil Fortunato (R)
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.
Party: No Labels Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’m Damon Townsend, and I’m running for Secretary of State in Washington. My career in election administration includes roles as an Election Supervisor in Pierce County, Training Manager for the Secretary of State, and interim Election Manager for Clallam and Cowlitz counties. I've also consulted on election procedures and improved operations across various counties. With an MBA, a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business, and studies in History and Political Science, I’m well-equipped to bring positive change. I am also a Washington State Certified Election Administrator. I’m passionate about ensuring our elections are fair, secure, and transparent. Beyond my professional life, I volunteer at the Tacoma Rescue Mission, provide community safety training, and coach volleyball and baseball at Bethel Rec. I’m running as an independent because I believe our leaders need to listen more to the majority and less to extremists. I’m committed to representing all Washingtonians with integrity and dedication."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Washington Secretary of State in 2024.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Washington
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Washington, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
| Washington's 1st | Suzan DelBene |  Democratic |
D+13 |
| Washington's 2nd | Rick Larsen | Democratic |
D+9 |
| Washington's 3rd | Marie Gluesenkamp Perez | Democratic |
R+5 |
| Washington's 4th | Dan Newhouse |  Republican |
R+11 |
| Washington's 5th | Cathy McMorris Rodgers | Republican |
R+8 |
| Washington's 6th | Derek Kilmer | Democratic |
D+6 |
| Washington's 7th | Pramila Jayapal | Democratic |
D+36 |
| Washington's 8th | Kim Schrier | Democratic |
D+1 |
| Washington's 9th | Adam Smith | Democratic |
D+21 |
| Washington's 10th | Marilyn Strickland | Democratic |
D+7 |
2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines
| 2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Washington[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Joe Biden 
|
Donald Trump 
| ||
| Washington's 1st | 64.0% | 33.3% | ||
| Washington's 2nd | 60.1% | 37.2% | ||
| Washington's 3rd | 46.6% | 50.8% | ||
| Washington's 4th | 40.3% | 57.2% | ||
| Washington's 5th | 43.5% | 53.5% | ||
| Washington's 6th | 57.1% | 39.9% | ||
| Washington's 7th | 86.8% | 11.3% | ||
| Washington's 8th | 52.0% | 45.3% | ||
| Washington's 9th | 71.5% | 26.3% | ||
| Washington's 10th | 57.3% | 39.6% | ||
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 72.5% of Washingtonians lived in one of the state's 11 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 22.3% lived in one of 22 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Washington was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Washington following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Washington county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 11 | 72.5% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 22 | 22.3% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 4 | 3.6% | |||||
| Battleground Democratic | 1 | 1.0% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 1 | 0.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 13 | 74.1% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 26 | 25.9% | |||||
Historical voting trends
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[2] | 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 |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Washington.
| U.S. Senate election results in Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2022 | 57.1% |
42.6%
|
| 2018 | 58.3% |
41.5%
|
| 2016 | 58.8% |
40.9%
|
| 2012 | 60.4% |
39.5%
|
| 2010 | 52.1% |
47.4%
|
| Average | 57.3 | 41.8 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Washington
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Washington.
| Gubernatorial election results in Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2020 | 56.6% |
43.1%
|
| 2016 | 54.2% |
45.5%
|
| 2012 | 51.4% |
48.3%
|
| 2008 | 53.0% |
46.6%
|
| 2004 | 48.9% |
48.9%
|
| Average | 52.8 | 46.5 |
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 | Jay Inslee
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Denny Heck
|
| Secretary of State | Steve Hobbs
|
| Attorney General | Bob Ferguson
|
State legislature
Washington State Senate
| Party | As of NFebruary 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[3] | 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 |
The table below details demographic data in Washington and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.
| Demographic Data for Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Washington | United States | |
| Population | 7,705,281 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 66,455 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 69.9% | 65.9% |
| Black/African American | 3.9% | 12.5% |
| Asian | 9.2% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 5.2% | 6% |
| Multiple | 9.9% | 8.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 13.5% | 18.7% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 92.1% | 89.1% |
| College graduation rate | 38% | 34.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $90,325 | $75,149 |
| Persons below poverty level | 6.3% | 8.8% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022). | ||
| **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. | ||
State profile
| 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. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Washington
Washington voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Washington, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[4]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Washington had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Washington coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Washington
- United States congressional delegations from Washington
- Public policy in Washington
- Endorsers in Washington
- Washington fact checks
- More...
See also
| Washington | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed December 15, 2023
- ↑ Progressive Party
- ↑ Democrats gained full control of the state Senate after a special election on November 7, 2017.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
 |
State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
