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Washington State Senate elections, 2010
 Ballot measures State Senate State House |
Elections for the office of Washington's State Senate were held in Washington on November 2, 2010.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 11, 2010. The primary election day was August 17, 2010. The enactment of Initiative 872 in 2004 meant that in the August 17 primary, the top two vote-getting candidates in each primary contest, regardless of party, moved on to the final November 2 vote.
Washington State Senators serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Half of the Senate is scheduled for re-election every two years.
Out of the 25 districts up for re-election, incumbents ran in 20 of them. In the 2010 elections, Democrats retained a majority in the chamber and Republicans gained four seats.
- See also: Washington State House of Representatives elections, 2010 and State legislative elections, 2010
November 2 General Election Results
The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:
- Adam Kline
- Andy Hill
- Sharon Nelson
- Bob Morton
- Derek Kilmer
- Doug Ericksen
- Pam Roach
- Ed Murray (Washington)
- Jeanne Kohl-Welles
- Jerome Delvin
- Jim Honeyford
- Joe Fain
- Karen Keiser
- Maralyn Chase
- Michael Baumgartner (Washington)
- Nick Harper
- Paull Shin
- Rodney Tom
- Steve Conway
- Steve Hobbs (Washington)
- Steve Litzow
- Tim Sheldon
- Tracey Eide
- Janéa Holmquist Newbry
- Scott White (Washington)
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 2 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Washington State Senate:
| Washington State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 31 | 27 | |
| Republican Party | 18 | 22 | |
| Total | 49 | 49 | |
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Washington in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 54 | $7,259,812 |
| 2008 | 78 | $6,822,733 |
| 2006 | 73 | $7,241,049 |
| 2004 | 81 | $6,993,740 |
| 2002 | 51 | $4,496,407 |
In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $7,259,812 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were:[2]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Senate Republican Campaign Cmte of Washington | $376,889 |
| Washington State Republican Party | $345,668 |
| Senate Democratic Campaign Cmte | $295,049 |
| Bennett, Gregg D | $136,540 |
| King County Republican Central Cmte | $111,251 |
| Washington State Democratic Central Cmte- Non-Exempt | $103,124 |
| Washington State Democratic Party | $88,239 |
| Premera Blue Cross | $36,500 |
| 6th District Legislative Cmte | $33,500 |
| Washington State Dental Association | $31,200 |
Incumbency
Unopposed incumbents
3 incumbents (15%) faced no competition in the November 2 general election.
- 1 Democratic incumbent faced no November challenger.
- 2 GOP incumbents faced no November challenger.
Primary challenges
Four incumbents (20%) faced competition in the August 17 primary. One incumbent, Democrat Jean Berkey, lost to her challengers. The following 3 incumbents (2 Democrats, 1 Republican) won their primaries:
- District 26: Incumbent Democrat Derek Kilmer
- District 31: Incumbent Republican Pam Roach
- District 44: Incumbent Democrat Steve Hobbs
Retiring incumbents
Five incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 20 incumbents (80%) ran for re-election. Of the 5 incumbents who did not run for re-election, 4 were Democrats and 1 was a Republican.
Incumbents who retired were:
- District 29: Incumbent Democrat Rosa Franklin.
- District 32: Incumbent Democrat Darlene Fairley.
- District 34: Incumbent Democrat Joe McDermott.
- District 42: Incumbent Republican Dale Brandland.
- District 46: Incumbent Democrat Ken Jacobsen.
Qualifications
Section 7 of Article 2 of the Washington State Constitution states, "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not be a citizen of the United States and a qualified voter in the district for which he is chosen."
List of candidates
| Partisan dominance in state senates heading into the 2010 state legislative elections |
 |
Initiative 872, passed in 2004, established that the top-two vote-getters in each primary move onto the November 2 contest, regardless of party. This meant that an election on November 2 could feature two candidates from the same party
Although there are no party primaries in the State of Washington, according to the Washington Secretary of State, "Each candidate for partisan office may state a political party that he or she prefers. A candidate's preference does not imply that the candidate is nominated or endorsed by the party, or that the party approves of or associates with that candidate."
District 6
August 17 primary:
Chris Marr (D) 18,191 
Incumbent Marr was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2006.
Michael Baumgartner 20,621 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Chris Marr 29,237
- Michael Baumgartner 33,929
District 7
| 2010 State senate elections
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| Parties with candidates |
| Impact of term limits |
| Successful challengers |
| Defeated incumbents |
| State house elections |
| State senate elections |
| State legislative elections |
August 17 primary:
- Barbara Mowrey (D) 8,069
- Bob Morton (R) 23,843 . Incumbent Morton has served in the Washington State Senate since 1995.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Barbara Mowrey 13,359
- Bob Morton 39,694
District 8
August 17 primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for the District 8 seat.
- Jerome Delvin (R) 18,965 . Incumbent Delvin was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2004.
- Brad Anderson (R) 8,857
November 2 General election candidates:
- Jerome Delvin 31,083
- Brad Anderson 17,546
District 13
August 17 primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for the District 13 seat.
- Janea Holmquist 21,814 (R) Incumbent Holmquist was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2009.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Janea Holmquist 35,432
District 15
August 17 primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for the District 15 seat.
- Jim Honeyford 15,336 (R) Incumbent Honeyford was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 1998.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Jim Honeyford 25,864
District 21
August 17 primary:
- Paull Shin 16,378 (D) Incumbent Shin was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 1999.
- David Preston 6,231 (R)
- Glen Sayes 3,663 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Paull Shin 30,369
- David Preston 17,637
District 26
August 17 primary:
- Derek Kilmer 18,854 (D) Incumbent Kilmer was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2007.
- Marty McClendon 12,618 (R)
Kristine Danielson 2,214 (Independent)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Derek Kilmer 33,090
- Marty McClendon 23,179
District 29
August 17 primary:
- Steve Conway 7,515 (D)
- Terry Harder 3,871 (R)
- Ken Paulson 1,796 (Independent)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Steve Conway 16,987
- Terry Harder 9,813
District 30
August 17 primary:
- Tracey Eide 10,830 (D) Incumbent Eide was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 1999.
- Tony Moore 10,483 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Tracey Eide 20,218
- Tony Moore 18,565
District 31
August 17 primary:
- Raymond Bunk 4,170 (D)
- Ron Weigelt 5,009 (D)
- Matt Richardson 5,750 (R)
- Pam Roach 10,317 (R) Incumbent Roach was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 1990.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Matt Richardson 14,651
- Pam Roach 29,374
District 32
August 17 primary:
- Patty Butler 3,842 (D)
- Maralyn Chase 14,684 (D)
- David Baker 12,323 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Maralyn Chase 33,426 `
- David Baker 21,775
District 33
August 17 primary:
- Karen Keiser 10,933 (D) Incumbent Keiser was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2001.
- Jack Michalek 7,992 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Karen Keiser 20,559
- Jack Michalek 13,833
District 34
August 17 primary:
- Sharon Nelson 20,530 (D)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Sharon Nelson 37,309
District 35
August 17 primary:
- Tim Sheldon 20,253 (D) Incumbent Sheldon was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 1997.
- Nancy Williams 12,870 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Tim Sheldon 34,130
- Nancy Williams 21,084
District 36
August 17 primary:
- Jeanne Kohl-Welles 26,400 (D) Incumbent Kohl-Welles was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 1994.
- Leslie Klein 5,152 Klein listed her party label preference as "R-Problemfixer Party"
November 2 General election candidates:
- Jeanne Kohl-Welles 51,656
- Leslie Klein 9,889
District 37
August 17 primary:
- Adam Kline 17,338 (D) Incumbent Kline was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 1996.
- No Republican candidates filed to run for the District 37 seat.
- Tamra Smilanich 2,219 (Independent)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Adam Kline 34,995
- Tamra Smilanich 4,797
District 38
August 17 primary:
- Nick Harper 7,133 (D)
- Jean Berkey 6,547 (D) Incumbent Berkey was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2004.
- No Republican candidates filed to run for the District 38 seat.
Rod Rieger 6,626
Across the country in 2010, state senate elections were held in 43 states. 1,167 state senate seats were at stake. In all 1,167 state senate districts with an election in 2010, 19 challengers (12 Democrats and 7 Republicans) defeated an incumbent state senator. Harper was one of the 12 Democratic challengers who defeated an incumbent Democratic state senator.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Nick Harper 22,089
- Rod Rieger 14,892
District 41
August 17 primary:
- Randy Gordon 16,588 (D) Incumbent Gordon was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2010.
- Steve Litzow 16,615 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
Note: Machine recount in progress as of December 2, 2010
- Randy Gordon 29,836
- Steve Litzow 30,030
District 42
August 17 primary:
- Pat Jerns 13,622 (D)
- Doug Ericksen 21,744 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Pat Jerns 24,298
- Doug Ericksen 36,293
District 43
August 17 primary:
- Ed Murray 21,578 (D) Incumbent Murray was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2007.
- No Republican candidates filed to run for the District 43 seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Ed Murray 42,365
District 44
August 17 primary:
- Steve Hobbs 10,877 (D) Incumbent Hobbs was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2007.
- Lillian Kaufer 4,377 (D)
- Ryan Ferrie 4,041 (R)
- Dave Schmidt 10,979 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Steve Hobbs 30,441
- Dave Schmidt 29,505
District 45
August 17 primary:
- Eric Oemig 14,790 (D) Incumbent Oemig was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2006.
- Andy Hill 15,701 (R)
November 2 General election candidates:
- Eric Oemig 28,482
- Andy Hill 29,606
District 46
August 17 primary:
- Scott White 21,437 (D) Incumbent White was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2009.
- No Republicans filed to run for the District 46 seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Scott White 40,542
District 47
August 17 primary:
- Claudia Kauffman 11,021 (D) Incumbent Kauffman was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2007.
- Joe Fain 13,835 (R)
- Matthew Sas (R) -Withdrew 6/17/2010
November 2 General election candidates:
- Claudia Kauffman 20,782
- Joe Fain 25,387
District 48
August 17 primary:
- Rodney Tom 13,460 (D) Incumbent Tom was first elected to the Washington State Senate in 2007.
- Gregg Bennett 12,080 (R)
- Ronald Fuller (I) -Withdrew 6/11/2010
November 2 General election candidates:
- Rodney Tom 24,559
- Gregg Bennett 22,104
See also
- Washington State Senate
- Washington State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2010
- Primary election dates in 2010
External links
- General election results, 2010
- List of 2010 candidates for Washington State Senate
- Washington Democratic Party's list of state legislative candidates (dead link)
- Project Vote Smart list of candidates for Washington State Senate in the November 2, 2010 election
Footnotes
