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Washington State Senate elections, 2014
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Washington's 2014 elections U.S. House • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • Judicial • Candidate ballot access |
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Democrats were looking to re-establish control over the Washington State Senate in the 2014 election. While they had de jure control, two Democrats sided with the Republicans to form the Majority Coalition Caucus in 2012, giving the latter party de facto power over the chamber. Republicans managed to flip the upper house, which they had only controlled for five of the last 20 years; the last time in 2004.
The Senate was one of 20 state legislative chambers noted by Ballotpedia staff as being a 2014 battleground chamber. Counting vacant seats towards the party that previously held the seat, the Washington Senate had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republicans of one seat, which amounted to 4 percent of seats up for election in 2014. In 2012, when 24 districts were up for election, four districts were competitive or mildly competitive.
Almost all of the Senate races - 22 of 25 - featured two major-party candidates.
Elections for 25 districts in the Washington State Senate took place in 2014. A blanket primary election took place on August 5, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2014. Washington state senators serve staggered, four-year terms and half of the senate is scheduled for election every two years.
Following the general election, the Republican Party gained control of the Washington State Senate. The Democratic Party previously held the majority control of the chamber with 25 seats to 24 for the Republican Party. After the general election, that number flipped, with the Republicans increasing their seats 25 and the Democratic seats dropping to 24.
Incumbents retiring
Four incumbents did not run for re-election in 2014. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Janéa Holmquist |  Republican |
Senate District 13 |
| Tracey Eide |  Democratic |
Senate District 30 |
| Adam Kline | Democratic |
Senate District 37 |
| Rodney Tom | Democratic |
Senate District 48 |
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 4 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Washington State Senate:
| Washington State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 25 | 24 | |
| Republican Party | 24 | 25 | |
| Total | 49 | 49 | |
Note: Although Democrats had a numerical majority going into the 2014 election, a coalition gave Republicans control of the chamber.
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."
Competitiveness
Candidates unopposed by a major party
In three of the 25 districts up for election in 2014, there was only one major party candidate running for election. Two Democrats and one Republican were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances. Candidates from both major parties faced off in the general election in 22 of the 25 districts up for election.
In 2012, when 26 districts were up for election, four districts were considered to be competitive or mildly competitive. None of these districts were up for election in 2014.
Competitive District 17: Incumbent Don Benton (R) defeated Tim Probst (D) in the 2012 general election. Benton won the election by a margin of victory of 0.1 percent.
Mildly competitive
District 5: Mark Mullet (D) won the general election by a margin of victory of 9 percent in 2012.
District 10: Barbara Bailey (R) won the general election by a margin of victory of 6 percent in 2012.
District 41: Incumbent Steve Litzow (R) won the general election by a margin of victory of 8 percent in 2012.
Primary challenges
Four incumbents faced primary competition on August 5. Four incumbents did not seek re-election in 2014 and another 17 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.
- District 31: Republican incumbent Pam Roach and Cathy Dahlquist (R) defeated Lynda Messner in the primary.
- District 32: Incumbent Maralyn Chase (D) and Robert Reedy (R) defeated Chris Eggen (D) in the primary.
- District 33: Incumbent Karen Keiser (D) and Martin Metz (R) defeated Marylin Taylor (D) in the primary.
- District 35: Democratic incumbent Tim Sheldon and Irene Bowling (D) defeated Travis Couture (R) in the primary.
Retiring incumbents
Four incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 21 (84.0%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, three Democrats and one Republican, can be found above.
Context
The Washington State Senate was technically Democrat-controlled 25 to 24; however, Republicans gained control of the Senate in late 2012 when two Democratic incumbents formed a coalition with Republicans after the elections. This created the Majority Coalition Caucus. Crosscut Seattle reported that there were up to 10 Senate districts, listed below, that were considered swing districts in the November elections. Minority Democrats needed to win four of the 10 districts to regain control of the Senate; with Republicans holding six of these Senate seats, while two Majority coalition Democrats hold two. Two of the 10 seats were in minority-Democrat hands. In 15 of the previous 20 years, Democrats held control of the Senate.[1][2][3]
Races to Watch
Crosscut Seattle's 10 districts to watch as potential swing districts were District 6, District 26, District 28, District 30, District 35, District 42, District 44, District 45, District 47 and District 48. In these districts, two Democratic incumbents did not run. One incumbent Democratic senator faced a Republican opponent in the general election and one incumbent faced off against another Democrat and a Republican in the primary. In the other six districts, Republican incumbents faced Democratic opponents in general election.[3]
List of candidates
District 6
- August 5 primary candidates:
Rich Cowan 
Michael Baumgartner - Incumbent Baumgartner was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
November 4 General election candidates:
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- Rich Cowan: 20,949
- Michael Baumgartner: 28,309
District 7
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Tony Booth
- Brian Dansel - Incumbent Dansel was first elected to the chamber in a special election on November 5, 2013.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Tony Booth: 12,612
- Brian Dansel: 32,702
District 8
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Doug McKinley
- Sharon Brown - Incumbent Brown was first appointed to the chamber on January 28, 2013.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Doug McKinley: 10,649
- Sharon Brown: 30,552
District 13
Note: Incumbent Janéa Holmquist (R) ran for the U.S. House
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Mohammad Said
- Judith "Judy" Warnick
November 4 General election candidates:
- Mohammad Said: 4,868
- Judith "Judy" Warnick: 30,751
District 15
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Gabriel Munoz
- Jim Honeyford - Incumbent Honeyford was first elected to the chamber in 1998.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Gabriel Munoz: 6,288
- Jim Honeyford: 16,794
District 21
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Marko Liias - Incumbent Liias was first appointed to the chamber in 2014.
- Dan Matthews
November 4 General election candidates:
- Marko Liias: 20,227
- Dan Matthews: 16,871
District 26
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Judy Arbogast
- Jan Angel - Incumbent Angel was first elected to the chamber in a special election on November 5, 2013.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Judy Arbogast: 20,414
- Jan Angel: 29,077
District 28
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Tami Green
- Steve O'Ban - Incumbent O'Ban was first appointed to the chamber in on June 5, 2013.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Tami Green: 17,503
- Steve O'Ban: 20,945
District 29
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Steve Conway - Incumbent Conway was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Terry Harder
November 4 General election candidates:
- Steve Conway: 13,071
- Terry Harder: 9,277
District 30
Note: Incumbent Tracey Eide (D) did not run for re-election.
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Shari Song
- Mark Miloscia
November 4 General election candidates:
- Shari Song: 13,790
- Mark Miloscia: 17,266
District 31
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Lynda Messner: 4,585
- Cathy Dahlquist: 8,836
- Pam Roach: 9,120 - Incumbent Roach was first elected to the chamber in 1990.
Note: Lane Walthers (D) withdrew before the primary.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Cathy Dahlquist: 18,324
- Pam Roach: 21,226
District 32
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Maralyn Chase: 11,734 - Incumbent Chase was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Chris Eggen: 5,473
- Robert Reedy: 5,707
November 4 General election candidates:
- Maralyn Chase: 29,560
- Robert Reedy: 11,863
District 33
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Karen Keiser: 8,364 - Incumbent Keiser was first appointed to the chamber in 2001.
- Marylin J. Taylor: 2,007
- Martin Metz: 5,875
November 4 General election candidates:
- Karen Keiser: 18,476
- Martin Metz: 10,994
District 34
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Sharon K. Nelson - Incumbent Nelson was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Sharon K. Nelson: 34,436
District 35
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Irene Bowling: 10,524
- Tim Sheldon: 9,971 - Incumbent Sheldon was first elected to the chamber in 1996.
- Travis Couture: 9,371
November 4 General election candidates:
- Irene Bowling: 20,375
- Tim Sheldon: 24,317
District 36
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Jeanne Kohl-Welles - Incumbent Kohl-Welles was first elected to the chamber in 1994.
- Sarina Forbes
November 4 General election candidates:
- Jeanne Kohl-Welles: 47,025
- Sarina Forbes: 8,830
District 37
Note: Incumbent Adam Kline (D) did not run for re-election.
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Claude Burfect: 436
- John Stafford: 1,684
- Pramila Jayapal: 12,235
- Sheley Secrest: 2,283
- Louis Watanabe: 3,639
- Rowland Martin: 2,317
November 4 General election candidates:
- Pramila Jayapal: 26,091
- Louis Watanabe: 10,807
District 38
- August 5 primary candidates:
- John McCoy - Incumbent McCoy was first appointed to office by the Snohomish County Council November 27, 2013.
- Craig French
Note: Larry Allred (Loss Corporate) withdrew before the primary.
November 4 General election candidates:
- John McCoy: 19,414
- Craig French: 11,960
District 42
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Seth Fleetwood
- Doug Ericksen - Incumbent Ericksen was first elected to the Senate in 2010.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Seth Fleetwood: 21,244
- Doug Ericksen: 30,209
District 43
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Jamie Pedersen - Incumbent Pedersen was first appointed to the chamber in 2013.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Jamie Pedersen: 39,507
District 44
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Steve Hobbs - Incumbent Hobbs was first elected to the chamber in 2006.
- Jim Kellett
November 4 General election candidates:
- Steve Hobbs: 23,560
- Jim Kellett: 20,077
District 45
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Matt Isenhower
- Andy Hill - Incumbent Hill was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Matt Isenhower: 23,156
- Andy Hill: 25,816
District 46
- August 5 primary candidates:
- David Frockt - Incumbent Frockt was first appointed to the chamber in November, 2011.
- Van Sperry
November 4 General election candidates:
- David Frockt: 41,318
- Van Sperry: 10,433
District 47
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Carol Barber
- Joe Fain - Incumbent Fain was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Carol Barber: 12,428
- Joe Fain: 21,730
District 48
Note: Incumbent Rodney Tom (D) did not run for re-election.
- August 5 primary candidates:
- Cyrus Habib
- Michelle Darnelle
November 4 General election candidates:
- Cyrus Habib: 24,833
- Michelle Darnelle: 13,446
See also
External links
- Washington Secretary of State, 2014 Candidates filed
- Washington Secretary of State, August 5, 2014 Primary Results
- Washington Secretary of State, Official general election results
Footnotes
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Washington State Senate: Republicans claim majority after Democrats defect," December 10, 2012
- ↑ The New York Times, "Washington state senators cross aisle and tilt ideological balance," December 26, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Crosscut Seattle, "Candidates line up to fight for control of state Senate," May 17, 2014
