It’s the 12 Days of Ballotpedia! Your gift powers the trusted, unbiased information voters need heading into 2026. Donate now!
Washington Superintendent of Schools election, 2016
2020 →
← 2012
|
 |
August 2, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Chris Reykdal |
Randy Dorn |
Governor • Lt. Governor Attorney General • Secretary of State Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor • Insurance Commissioner Natural Resources Commissioner Superintendent of Schools |
May 20, 2016 |
August 2, 2016 |
October 21, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
TBD |
Washington held an election for superintendent of schools on November 8, 2016, with a primary election on August 2, 2016. Chris Reykdal defeated Erin Jones in the general election. Although Reykdal was a Democratic official in the state legislature, the superintendent serves in a nonpartisan capacity.
Overview
The Office of Superintendent of Public instruction is the primary agency charged with overseeing K-12 public education in the state. The superintendent of public instruction, who heads the agency, is publicly elected every four years. Two-time incumbent Randy Dorn announced that he would not run for re-election in 2016. The office is nonpartisan, though the two major parties often endorse and/or support a particular candidate. Although he was not formally affiliated with a particular political party, Dorn was supported by the Democratic Party in his initial run in 2008.[1]
Nine candidates competed in the August 2 top-two primary election. Erin Jones, an assistant superintendent to Dorn, and state Rep. Chris Reykdal, who served in the state legislature as a Democrat, placed first and second respectively in the primary election and competed in the November general election.
Candidates
 Most recent position: School administrator, former state assistant superintendent Past experience: Foreign language teacher |
 Most recent position: State representative (D) since 2011 Past experience: High school history teacher |
| Click show to the right to view candidates who were defeated in the primary election. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
Results
General election
Chris Reykdal defeated Erin Jones in the Washington superintendent of schools election.
| Washington Superintendent of Schools, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Chris Reykdal |
50.52% | 1,337,547 | ||
| Erin Jones | 49.48% | 1,309,896 | ||
| Total Votes | 2,647,443 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
Note: Washington utilizes a mail-in ballot system. Results were not certified until 14 days after the primary election.[2]
The following candidates ran in the Washington primary for superintendent of schools.
| Washington primary for superintendent of schools, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Erin Jones |
25.76% | 295,330 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chris Reykdal |
20.95% | 240,194 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronald Higgins | 16.65% | 190,886 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robin Fleming | 13.52% | 154,991 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Spring | 8.52% | 97,702 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Patterson Blair | 5.59% | 64,064 | |
| Nonpartisan | KumRoon Maksirisombat | 3.79% | 43,491 | |
| Nonpartisan | Al Runte | 3.26% | 37,386 | |
| Nonpartisan | Grazyna Prouty | 1.94% | 22,265 | |
| Total Votes | 1,146,309 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should appear on the general election ballot. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Washington utilizes a top-two primary, in which a single primary election is held for each office wherein all candidates running for that office, regardless of party affiliation, compete in the same election. The two candidates receiving the most votes move on to the general election; all voters may vote in the primary for any candidate. In this type of primary, it is possible for both candidates in the general election to belong to the same political party. The general election also mimics a runoff election in that the two candidates who compete already competed against each other in the primary election.[3][4][5]
Washington's primary elections took place on August 2, 2016. The state utilizes a mail-in ballot system, and all ballots were required to be postmarked or left in a designated dropbox by 8 p.m. on election day. Ballots were mailed to registered voters 18 days prior to the election, and preliminary results were released at 8 p.m. on election day. While some races were called by the media on election day, official results were not certified by the Washington secretary of state until 14 days after the election, which, in 2016, was on August 16.[6]
Incumbent Randy Dorn
Randy Dorn defeated former Superintendent Teresa "Terry" Bergeson in the 2008 election. Dorn ran for re-election in 2012 against five other candidates. He earned over 56% of the vote in the primary. No other candidate qualified for the general election. Dorn did not face term limits, but he declined to run for a third term.
Party control in Washington
Going into the 2016 elections, Washington had a divided government: Democrats controlled the governorship and also held a two-seat majority in the House of Representatives. Republicans gained control of the state Senate in the 2014 elections by a one-seat majority, ending a seven-year Democratic trifecta. Ballotpedia identified both chambers of the state legislature as battleground chambers in the 2016 elections.
Both of Washington's U.S. Senate seats have been occupied by Democrats since 2001, and the state's electoral votes have gone to the Democratic presidential candidate every election cycle since 1988.[7]
The office of superintendent of public instruction in Washington is nonpartisan, though the two major parties often endorse and/or support a particular candidate. For example, incumbent Randy Dorn was backed by the Democratic Party when first elected in 2008.
Campaigns
Race background
On March 17, 2015, Erin Jones filed to run for superintendent in the 2016 elections and [8] Chris Reykdal filed to run on July 31, 2015.[9] Both candidates appeared ready to challenge incumbent Randy Dorn in the upcoming election. A few months later, on October 22, 2015, incumbent Randy Dorn announced that he would not seek re-election for a third term. Dorn cited his disappointment that the state legislature and Gov. Jay Inslee (D) were unable to develop a plan to fully fund basic education after the state Supreme Court ordered them to do so. He expressed hope that a "new face" could help develop ideas to deal with the issue.[10] After Dorn made his announcement, Ronald Higgins and Robin Fleming announced their own bids for the office and began fundraising.
Campaign finance
| Robin Fleming Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $61,823.83 | $(58,786.43) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $61,823.83 | $(58,786.43) | ||||||||
| Ron Higgins Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $9,024.47 | $(5,899.63) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $9,024.47 | $(5,899.63) | ||||||||
| Erin Jones Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $108,552.34 | $(86,799.99) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $108,552.34 | $(86,799.99) | ||||||||
| Chris Reykdal Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $150,756.96 | $(97,082.35) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $150,756.96 | $(97,082.35) | ||||||||
Campaign media
| Robin Fleming (Ind.) |    
|
| Ronald Higgins (Ind.) |
|
| Erin Jones (Ind.) |
|
| Chris Reykdal (Ind.) |
|
Know of a candidate's campaign site not listed? Tell us!
Endorsements
| Primary endorsements | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erin Jones | Chris Reykdal | ||||||||
| Congressman Adam Smith (D) | Congressman Denny Heck (D) | ||||||||
| Public School Employees of Washington (PSE) | House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (D) | ||||||||
| African American Caucus of the Washington State Democrats | Senate Minority Leader Sharon Nelson (D) | ||||||||
| Seattlish (Progressive Blog) | Speaker Pro Tempore James Moeller (D) | ||||||||
| The News Tribune | Washington Education Association | ||||||||
| What is a key endorsement? | |||||||||
About the office
- See also: Washington Superintendent of Schools
Incumbent
The incumbent was Randy Dorn. He first took office in 2009.
Authority
Article 3 of the state Constitution establishes the state's executive offices.
Article III, Section 2:
|
Executive Department. The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, and a commissioner of public lands, who shall be severally chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the same time and place of voting as for the members of the legislature. |
Qualifications Article 3, Section 25 of the state Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
| Qualifications, Compensation, Offices Which May Be Abolished. No person, except a citizen of the United States and a qualified elector of this state, shall be eligible to hold any state office... |
- a citizen of the United States
- a qualified elector in Washington
Past elections
In Washington, the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and commissioner of public lands are elected every four years. Elections are held in November and winners assume office the following January, serving until their successors are elected and qualified.
Washington elects their state executives in presidential years including 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington state Superintendent of Schools election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
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.[11]
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 government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Randy Dorn," accessed July 21, 2016
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Secretary of State Kim Wyman, "Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail," accessed August 4, 2016
- ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, "Historical election results," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ Washington PDC, "JONES ERIN," accessed July 22, 2016
- ↑ Washington PDC, "REYKDAL CHRIS P," accessed July 22, 2016
- ↑ The News Tribune, Melissa Santos, "Randy Dorn won’t seek re-election as state schools superintendent," accessed July 22, 2016
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
