Washington State Senate elections, 2022
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| 2022 Washington Senate Elections | |
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| Primary | August 2, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
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Elections for the Washington State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 2, 2022. The filing deadline was May 20, 2022.
The Washington State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. At the time of the 2022 elections, Republicans held a majority in more chambers than Democrats. There was a Republican majority in 62 chambers and a Democratic majority in 36 chambers. In the Alaska House, there was a power-sharing agreement between the parties as part of a coalition.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified five battleground races in the Washington State Senate 2022 elections, three of which were Democratic-held districts while the other two were Republican-held districts. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
Twenty-four seats were up for election in 2022. The chamber's Democratic majority remained 29-20.
At the time of the 2022 election, Washington had had a trifecta since the Democratic Party won control of the state Senate in 2017. If the Republican Party flipped five or more seats, then the Democratic Party would have lost its trifecta. If the Democratic Party lost no more than four seats it would have maintained control of the chamber. This was one of 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as a battleground chamber in 2022. Click here for more on why this chamber was identified as a battleground.
Party control
| Washington State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 29 | 29 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | 20 | |
| Total | 49 | 49 | |
Candidates
General
Washington State Senate General Election 2022 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
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Other |
| District 6 |
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| District 7 |
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| District 8 |
Ronni Batchelor (Independent) |
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| District 13 |
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| District 15 |
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| District 21 |
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| District 26 |
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| District 29 |
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| District 30 |
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| District 31 |
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Chris Vance (Independent) |
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| District 32 |
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| District 33 |
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| District 34 |
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| District 35 |
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| District 36 |
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| District 37 |
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| District 38 |
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| District 42 |
Simon Sefzik (i) |
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| District 43 |
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| District 44 |
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| District 45 |
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| District 46 |
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| District 47 |
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| District 48 |
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= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection
Primary
2022 battleground chamber
The Washington State Senate was among 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as battleground chambers for the 2022 cycle.
What was at stake?
- The Republican Party needed to gain five or more seats to take control of the chamber in 2022. The Democratic Party needed to lose four or fewer seats to maintain control.
- The Republican Party flipping the state Senate would have broken the Democratic Party's trifecta. The Democratic Party would have needed to keep the state Senate as well as the state House to maintain their trifecta.
Why was it a battleground?
- Seats flipped in the last election: Three of the seats up for election (13% of seats up) flipped to a different party the last time they were up.
- Seats decided by less than 10% in the last election: Six of the seats up for election (25% of seats up) in 2022 were decided by margins of 10 percentage points or smaller the last time they were up.
- History of recent flips: Control of the Washington State Senate flipped twice between 2012 and 2022. Republicans gained a majority in 2012, followed by Democrats in 2017.
Battleground races
District 15
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where the Republican Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 1% according to Dave’s Redistricting and no incumbent was running. In 2018, Republican incumbent Jim Honeyford was re-elected with 60.6% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Bengie Aguilar’s 39.4% of the vote. |
District 26
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
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What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 51% of the vote in the last election. Going into the 2022 election, the Democratic Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 50% according to Dave’s Redistricting and the district was rated as a Toss-up by CNalysis. In 2018, Democratic candidate Emily Randall was elected with 50.1% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Marty McClendon‘s 49.9% of the vote. |
District 35
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 52% of the vote in the last election and no incumbent was running. Going into the 2022 election, the Republican Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 51% according to Dave’s Redistricting. In 2018, Democratic incumbent Tim Sheldon was re-elected with 52% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Irene Bowling’s 48% of the vote. |
District 42
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
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What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 51% of the vote in the last election. Going into the 2022 election, the Democratic Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 52% according to Dave’s Redistricting and the district was rated as a Toss-up by CNalysis. In 2018, Republican incumbent Doug Ericksen was re-elected with 50% of the vote (36,341 votes) compared to Democratic candidate Pinky Vargas‘s 50% of the vote (36,295 votes). |
District 47
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 52% of the vote in the last election and no incumbent was running. Going into the 2022 election, the district was rates as “Leans Democratic” by CNalysis. In 2018, Democratic candidate Mona Das was elected with 50.9% of the vote compared to Republican incumbent Joe Fain’s 49.1% of the vote. |
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
One incumbent lost in the Nov. 8 general election.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Sefzik |  Republican |
Senate District 42 |
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
No incumbents lost in primaries.
Retiring incumbents
Six incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Brown | Republican |
Senate District 8 | Retired |
| Jim Honeyford | Republican |
Senate District 15 | Retired |
| Tim Sheldon |  Democratic |
Senate District 35 | Retired |
| Reuven Carlyle | Democratic |
Senate District 36 | Retired |
| Dave Frockt | Democratic |
Senate District 46 | Retired |
| Mona Das | Democratic |
Senate District 47 | Retired |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Washington. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Washington in 2022. Information below was calculated on July 31, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Thirty-one of the 95 Washington state legislators who filed for re-election—22 Democrats and nine Republicans—faced contested primaries in 2022. This represented 33% of incumbents who filed for re-election, lower than in 2020 but a higher rate than other recent election cycles.
Along with California and Nebraska, Washington was one of three states holding top-two state legislative primaries in 2022. Under this system, all candidates appear on the same primary ballot regardless of their party affiliation and the top-two vote-getters advance to the general election.
Under this system, a primary is contested when more than two candidates file to run in the same district, at which point at least one candidate is guaranteed to lose.
Historically, however, incumbents tended to advance to the general election in Washington.
Between 2014 and 2020, 127 incumbents faced contested primaries in the state, four of whom—two Democrats and two Republicans—lost. This gave incumbents a primary win rate of 98%.
Twenty-seven incumbents did not file for re-election in 2022, an increase compared to previous election cycles. This represented 18% of all seats in the Washington State Legislature.
Washington does not have term limits, meaning each of these incumbents either chose to retire or seek some other office.
Overall, 292 candidates filed to run in Washington's top-two state legislative primaries in 2022: 126 Democrats, 142 Republicans, and 24 independent or minor party candidates.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Washington State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[2] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Washington State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 25 | 6 (24 percent) | 19 (76 percent) |
| 2020 | 25 | 3 (12 percent) | 22 (88 percent) |
| 2018 | 25 | 3 (12 percent) | 22 (88 percent) |
| 2016 | 26 | 7 (27 percent) | 19 (73 percent) |
| 2014 | 25 | 4 (16 percent) | 21 (84 percent) |
| 2012 | 26 | 7 (27 percent) | 19 (73 percent) |
| 2010 | 25 | 5 (20 percent) | 20 (80 percent) |
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Chapter 29A.24 of the Washington Election Code
A candidate who desires to have his or her name printed on the ballot for election to an office other than president or vice president must complete and file a declaration of candidacy. The candidate must do the following:
- declare that he or she is a registered voter within the jurisdiction of the office for which he or she is filing (the candidate must include the address at which he or she is registered)
- indicate the position for which he or she is filing
- state a party preference, if the office is a partisan office
- indicate the amount of the filing fee accompanying the declaration of candidacy (the candidate may also indicate that he or she is filing a petition in lieu of the filing fee)
- sign the declaration of candidacy, stating that the information provided on the form is true and swearing or affirming that he or she will support the constitution and laws of the United States and the constitution and laws of the state of Washington[3]
The filing period for candidates begins on the first Monday in May and ends the following Friday in the year in which the office is scheduled to be voted upon. For statewide offices and state legislative districts, candidates file with the secretary of state. Candidates must also submit the declaration of candidacy to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission within one business day after the filing period has ended.[4][5]
A filing fee equal to 1 percent of the annual salary of the office at the time of filing must accompany the declaration of candidacy for any office with a fixed annual salary of more than $1,000. For offices that pay less than $1,000, candidates must pay a filing fee of $10.[6] A candidate who lacks sufficient assets or income at the time of filing may submit with his or her declaration of candidacy a filing fee petition. The petition must contain signatures from registered voters equal to the number of dollars of the filing fee.
For write-in candidates
Any person who desires to be a write-in candidate and have his or her votes counted at a primary or general election can file a declaration of candidacy with the Washington Secretary of State and the Washington Public Disclosure Commission up to 8:00 p.m. on the day of the primary or general election. A declaration of candidacy for a write-in candidate must be accompanied by a filing fee or a filing fee petition with the required signatures if filing within 18 days of the election (fees and signature requirements are the same as those summarized above).[7]
Qualifications
Section 7 of Article 2 of the Washington 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."
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[8] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $60,191/year for senators. $61,997/year for representatives. | $202/day |
When sworn in
Washington legislators assume office the second Monday of January.[9]
Washington political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
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[10] | 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 |
Presidential politics in Washington
2020 Presidential election results
Presidential election in Washington, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
58.0
|
2,369,612 | 12 |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
38.8
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1,584,651 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
2.0
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80,500 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.4
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18,289 | 0 | |
 
| Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation) |
0.1
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4,840 | 0 | |
 
| Alyson Kennedy/Malcolm Jarrett (Socialist Workers Party) |
0.1
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2,487 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.7
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27,252 | 0 | ||
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Total votes: 4,087,631 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Washington
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On March 15, 2024, Judge Robert Lasnik of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ordered the state to adopt a new legislative map named Remedial Map 3B that complies with the Voting Rights Act. Judge Lasnik ordered Washington to redraw a legislative district in the Yakima Valley region because its boundaries undermined the ability of Latino voters to participate equally in elections. According to the district court's decision:[11][12]
| “ | The task of fashioning a remedy for a Voting Rights Act violation is not one that falls within the Court’s normal duties. It is only because the State declined to reconvene the Redistricting Commission – with its expertise, staff, and ability to solicit public comments – that the Court was compelled to step in. Nevertheless, with the comprehensive and extensive presentations from the parties, the participation of the Yakama Nation, and the able assistance of Ms. Mac Donald, the Court is confident that the adopted map best achieves the many goals of the remedial process. The Secretary of State is hereby ORDERED to conduct future elections according to Remedial Map 3B...[12][13] | ” |
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Washington State Senate Districts
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Washington State Senate Districts
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
See also
| Washington | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.031," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.050," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.070," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.091," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.311," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 44.04.021 Commencement of terms of office," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ Democrats gained full control of the state Senate after a special election on November 7, 2017.
- ↑ Washington State Standard, "Federal judge orders redrawing of Yakima Valley legislative district," August 10, 2023
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 U.S. District Court for the District of Washington at Seattle, "Case No. 3:22-cv-05035-RSL: Susan Soto Palmer v. Steven Hobbs," March 15, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
