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Washington State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Washington State Senate were held in Washington on November 6, 2012. A total of 26 seats were up for election. Washington state senators serve staggered, four-year terms and half of the senate is scheduled for election every two years.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was May 18, 2012. The primary Election Day was August 7, 2012.
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 6 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Washington State Senate:
| Washington State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 27 | 26 | |
| Republican Party | 22 | 23 | |
| Total | 49 | 49 | |
Game-changers
Washington State Senate: Democrats held a five seat advantage, and although five incumbent Dems retired, it was still unlikely that Republicans would pick up the chamber.
Washington House of Representatives: The House, with a 14 seat Democratic majority, was also unlikely to flip to Republican control.
General election
Senate
- Jim Kastama (D), regarded as a moderate Democrat, retired, leaving a seat that Republicans were looking to pick up. Bruce Dammeier (R) defeated Eric Herde (D) in the general election.[1]
- Mary Margaret Haugen (D), was unopposed in the August 7 blanket primary and was defeated by Barbara Bailey (R) in the general election.[2]
Incumbents retiring
A total of 7 incumbents did not run for re-election in 2012. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Pridemore |  Democratic |
House District 49 |
| Debbie Regala | Democratic |
House District 27 |
| Jim Kastama | Democratic |
House District 25 |
| Joseph Zarelli |  Republican |
House District 18 |
| Lisa Brown | Democratic |
House District 3 |
| Margarita Prentice | Democratic |
House District 11 |
| Val Stevens | Republican |
House District 39 |
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.[3]
| 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:[4]
| 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 |
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Washington
The bipartisan Washington State Redistricting Commission passed new legislative maps on January 1, 2012, which was the last day redistricting work could be completed without court intervention. The legislature approved an amended version of the maps on February 1, 2012. Changes to the 11th District displaced Sen. Margarita Prentice, who subsequently announced her retirement.[5]
There were 20 state senate districts where the partisan registration of Democratic and Republican voters was less than 10 percentage points apart. These districts would be considered "competitive" when looked at strictly with respect to vote party affiliation. The 20 districts in Washington were Districts 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 17, 18, 20, 25, 26, 28, 31, 35, 39, 41, 42, 44, 45, 47 and 48.
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
District 1
- August 7 primary candidates:
Guy Palumbo: 4,038- Rosemary McAuliffe: 13,238
- Incumbent McAuliffe first assumed office in 1993. 
Dawn McCravey: 12,619
November 6 General election candidates:
- Rosemary McAuliffe: 37,316
- Dawn McCravey: 29,932
District 2
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Bruce L. Lachney: 9,512
- James E. Vaughn: 4,393
- Randi Becker: 9,517 - Incumbent Becker first assumed office in 2009.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Bruce L. Lachney: 24,286
- Randi Becker: 31,946
District 3
Note: Incumbent Democrat Lisa Brown did not seek re-election.
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Andy Billig
- Nancy McLaughlin
November 6 General election candidates:
- Andy Billig: 29,609
- Nancy McLaughlin: 21,576
District 4
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Mike Padden - Incumbent Padden first assumed office in 2011.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Mike Padden: 49,593
District 5
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Mark Mullet
- Brad Toft
Note: Incumbent Cheryl Pflug (R) withdrew from the race on May 21 after being appointed to the Washington Growth Management Hearings Board.[6]
November 6 General election candidates:
- Mark Mullet: 36,765
- Brad Toft: 30,783
District 9
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Mark G. Schoesler - Incumbent Schoesler first assumed office in 2005.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Mark G. Schoesler: 39,390
District 10
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Mary Margaret Haugen - Incumbent Haugen first assumed office in 1993.
- Barbara Bailey
November 6 General election candidates:
- Mary Margaret Haugen: 33,778
- Barbara Bailey: 37,810
District 11
Note: Incumbent Democrat Margarita Prentice did not seek re-election.
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Bob Hasegawa
- Kristin Thompson
November 6 General election candidates:
- Bob Hasegawa: 34,301
- Kristin Thompson: 15,170
District 12
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Linda Evans Parlette - Incumbent Parlette first assumed office in 2001.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Linda Evans Parlette: 44,318
District 14
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Curtis King - Incumbent King first assumed office in 2007.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Curtis King: 40,394
District 16
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Scott Nettles
- Mike Hewitt - Incumbent Hewitt first assumed office in 2001.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Scott Nettles: 14,197
- Mike Hewitt: 32,717
District 17
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Tim Probst
- Don Benton - Incumbent Benton first assumed office in 1997.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Tim Probst: 27,460
- Don Benton: 27,538
District 18
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Ralph Schmidt
- Ann Rivers - Incumbent Rivers first assumed office in June 2012.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Ralph Schmidt: 20,330
- Ann Rivers: 42,924
District 19
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Brian Hatfield - Incumbent Hatfield first assumed office in 2007.
- Rick Winsman
November 6 General election candidates:
- Brian Hatfield: 34,590
- Rick Winsman: 21,056
District 20
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Dan Swecker: 10,861 - Incumbent Swecker first assumed office in 1995.
- John E. Braun: 9,327
- Rae Lowery: 2,936
November 6 General election candidates:
- Dan Swecker: 24,075
- John E. Braun: 29,943
District 22
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Karen Fraser - Incumbent Fraser first assumed office in 1993
November 6 General election candidates:
- Karen Fraser: 50,389
District 23
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Christine Rolfes - Incumbent Rolfes first assumed office in 2011.
- Bret A. Treadwell
Note: Daniel J. "D.J." Sweet (No Party Preference) withdrew on May 21.[7]
November 6 General election candidates:
- Christine Rolfes: 43,305
- Bret A. Treadwell: 23,235
District 24
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Jim Hargrove - Incumbent Hargrove first assumed office in 1993.
Larry Carter
November 6 General election candidates:
- Jim Hargrove: 44,417
- Larry Carter: 23,455
District 25
Note: Incumbent Democrat Jim Kastama did not seek re-election.
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Eric Herde
- Bruce Dammeier
November 6 General election candidates:
- Eric Herde: 21,517
- Bruce Dammeier: 34,715
District 27
Note: Incumbent Democrat Debbie Regala did not seek re-election.
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Jeannie Darneille
- John R. Connelly
Note: Timothy Jolibois (R) withdrew on May 21.[8]
November 6 General election candidates:
- Jeannie Darneille: 30,939
- John R. Connelly: 23,068
District 28
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Yoshie Wong
- Mike Carrell - Incumbent Carrell first assumed office in 2004.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Yoshie Wong: 22,896
- Mike Carrell: 32,146
District 39
Note: Incumbent Republican Val Stevens did not seek re-election.
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Scott Olson
- Kirk Pearson
November 6 General election candidates:
- Scott Olson: 24,603
- Kirk Pearson: 33,449
District 40
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Kevin Ranker: 18,684 - Incumbent Ranker first assumed office in 2009.
- John Swapp: 10,791
- Jim Cozad: 1,864
November 6 General election candidates:
- Kevin Ranker: 40,677
- John Swapp: 23,959
District 41
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Maureen Judge
- Steve Litzow - Incumbent Litzow first assumed office in 2011.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Maureen Judge: 31,734
- Steve Litzow: 37,314
District 46
- August 7 primary candidates:
- David Frockt - Incumbent Frockt first assumed office in 2011.
November 6 General election candidates:
- David Frockt: 56,124
District 49
Note: Incumbent Democrat Craig Pridemore did not seek re-election.
- August 7 primary candidates:
- Annette Cleveland
- Eileen Qutub
November 6 General election candidates:
- Annette Cleveland: 30,390
- Eileen Qutub: 21,634
See also
External links
- Washington Secretary of State 2012 Primary Candidates
- Washington Secretary of State, August 07, 2012 Primary Results - Legislative, accessed August 23, 2012.
- Washington Secretary of State, 2012 General Election Candidates
- Washington Secretary of State, November 06, 2012 General Election Results - Legislative, accessed December 6, 2012.
Footnotes
- ↑ The Seattle Times "Voters face important decisions on the primary ballot," accessed August 13, 2012
- ↑ C-SPAN "AP Election Results - Washington State Senate," accessed August 7, 2012," accessed August 13, 2012
- ↑ Follow the Money, Washington
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Washington Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ The Renton Reporter, "Margarita Prentice to retire from senate after fifth term ends," accessed April 22, 2024
- ↑ Sammamish-Issaquah Patch, "Pflug Withdraws from 5th District State Senate Race," May 22, 2012
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2012 election filings," accessed July 18, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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