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Washington Treasurer election, 2024

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2020
Washington Treasurer
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Election details
Filing deadline: May 10, 2024
Primary: August 6, 2024
General: November 5, 2024

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Mike Pellicciotti (D)
How to vote
Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m.
Voting in Washington
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2024
Impact of term limits in 2024
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
Washington
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Auditor
Treasurer
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Public Lands Commissioner
Insurance Commissioner

Incumbent Mike Pellicciotti (D) defeated Sharon Hanek (R) in the general election for Washington Treasurer on November 5, 2024. As of the election, the treasurer managed the state's debts, investments, and cash.[1]

Pellicciotti was first elected as treasurer in 2020, when he defeated incumbent Duane Davidson (R) 53.4% to 46.5%. Pellicciotti represented the 30th District in the state House from 2017 to 2021.[2] During his tenure, Pellicciotti worked as an assistant attorney general in the Washington Attorney General's office.[2][3] He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics and a master's degree in rural development.[3] He earned his law degree from Gonzaga University and was a law clerk at the Washington Supreme Court before working as a deputy prosecuting attorney in King County.[4]

Pellicciotti ran on his record as treasurer. In an interview with KATU News, Pellicciotti said during his time as treasurer, "Washington has maintained a Moody’s AAA credit rating. ... Washington now has one of the best funded pensions in America, and U.S. News just ranked Washington #1 in the nation for longterm fiscal stability."[5] Pellicciotti said he prioritized transparency as treasurer and created a transparency portal for state financial data on the treasurer website.[2] He said, "The more we can demystify public finances and financial issues more generally, the more the public can participate and communicate to their elected officials on how they want their money being spent.”[2]

Hanek grew up on U.S. military bases in Japan.[6] Her father was an interpreter in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service during World War II and then served as a liaison between the U.S. and Japanese governments.[2] Her family later moved to Washington, where Hanek earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting.[6] Hanek began working as a certified public accountant in 1980 and later started a private practice.[6] Hanek first sought elected office in 2008, when she ran unsuccessfully for state representative.[2] She was a write-in candidate for state treasurer in 2012 and was elected chair of the Pierce County Charter Review Commission in 2016.[6][2]

Hanek said she ran because of "an increase of concerns in the security of the State's financial system."[7] She ran on her experience as an accountant and said, "The role of a CPA has some different skill sets it brings with it, not just overseeing, administrating and managing but you get into understanding financial systems."[2] Referring to errors Hanek said she found in a public financial report, Hanek said, "Those are the little things that are the way a CPA thinks. I would view things in a little bit different manner to make sure that the reports are reasonable looking, that they add up, and that’s engrained in me.”[2] Hanek said her priority as treasurer would be "strengthening the protection of our cash flow. This area is where I believe we have been lacking and incidences of mismanagement of funds seems to be increasing."[7] She also said she would work to improve fiscal transparency.[7]

As of the October fundraising reports, Pellicciotti had raised $356,021 and spent $194,080, and Hanek had raised $49,889 and spent $46,038. To read more about campaign finance reports, click here.

This was one of thirteen statewide elections in Washington alongside elections for President, U.S. Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Public Lands Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner, and three Washington Supreme Court seats. To read more about Washington's elections in 2024, click here.

Washington was one of 48 states that has a treasurer and one of 10 states that held an election for treasurer in 2024. Heading into the election, 12 states had a Democratic treasurer, 24 states had a Republican treasurer, and 12 states had a nonpartisan treasurer.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Washington Treasurer

Incumbent Mike Pellicciotti defeated Sharon Hanek in the general election for Washington Treasurer on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Pellicciotti
Mike Pellicciotti (D)
 
57.3
 
2,148,764
Image of Sharon Hanek
Sharon Hanek (R)
 
42.6
 
1,600,370
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
3,261

Total votes: 3,752,395
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington Treasurer

Incumbent Mike Pellicciotti and Sharon Hanek advanced from the primary for Washington Treasurer on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Pellicciotti
Mike Pellicciotti (D)
 
58.3
 
1,118,500
Image of Sharon Hanek
Sharon Hanek (R)
 
41.6
 
797,824
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
1,684

Total votes: 1,918,008
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Washington

Election information in Washington: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 28, 2024
  • Online: Oct. 28, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: N/A
  • By mail: N/A by N/A
  • Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
  • By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 18, 2024 to Nov. 5, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

Varies - 8:00 p.m. (PST)


Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Mike Pellicciotti

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Pellicciotti earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics, a master's degree in rural development, and a law degree. He worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney in King County and an assistant attorney general.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Pellicciotti's campaign website said, "He has always rejected all corporate campaign donations. ... He proves that government best serves the people when elected officials say no to corporate campaign money."


Pellicciotti said, "My Office’s local daily investment returns are 50 times higher than 2021, sending $3 million more to local governments each day! Our state investments are creating $1.8 billion in new money for Washington State over the next four years to help lower tax burdens."


Pellicciotti said he would focus on "maintaining Washington State’s strong longterm fiscal health during times of potential political and economic instability."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Washington Treasurer in 2024.

Image of Sharon Hanek

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Hanek earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting. She began working as a certified public accountant in 1980 and later began a private CPA practice. She also provided tax and financial advisory services. She became Chair of the Pierce County Charter Review Commission in 2016.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Regarding her accounting experience, Hanek said, "In order to make wise choices, you need good information. I will be your professional accountant who can analyze the books and create useful reports for the decisionmakers."


Hanek said, "I think Washington's finances are in a good position but it is time to have leadership that will help strengthen our system in the face of new challenges of cybersecurity."


On transparency, Hanek said her approach would include "creating better reporting and disclosure of information so the public can understand how their tax dollars are spent."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Washington Treasurer in 2024.

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. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.


Campaign ads

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Mike Pellicciotti

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Mike Pellicciotti while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Sharon Hanek

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for John Smith while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Election competitiveness

Polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Election spending

Campaign finance

The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. View each candidates’ loan totals, if any, by clicking “View More” in the table below and learn more about this data here.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[8][9][10]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.


See also: Presidential voting trends in Washington and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Washington, 2024
District Incumbent Party PVI
Washington's 1st Suzan DelBene Electiondot.png Democratic D+13
Washington's 2nd Rick Larsen Electiondot.png Democratic D+9
Washington's 3rd Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Electiondot.png Democratic R+5
Washington's 4th Dan Newhouse Ends.png Republican R+11
Washington's 5th Cathy McMorris Rodgers Ends.png Republican R+8
Washington's 6th Derek Kilmer Electiondot.png Democratic D+6
Washington's 7th Pramila Jayapal Electiondot.png Democratic D+36
Washington's 8th Kim Schrier Electiondot.png Democratic D+1
Washington's 9th Adam Smith Electiondot.png Democratic D+21
Washington's 10th Marilyn Strickland Electiondot.png Democratic D+7


2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Washington[11]
District Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Washington's 1st 64.0% 33.3%
Washington's 2nd 60.1% 37.2%
Washington's 3rd 46.6% 50.8%
Washington's 4th 40.3% 57.2%
Washington's 5th 43.5% 53.5%
Washington's 6th 57.1% 39.9%
Washington's 7th 86.8% 11.3%
Washington's 8th 52.0% 45.3%
Washington's 9th 71.5% 26.3%
Washington's 10th 57.3% 39.6%


2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2020 presidential election, 72.5% of Washingtonians lived in one of the state's 11 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 22.3% lived in one of 22 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Washington was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Washington following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Washington presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 17 Democratic wins
  • 13 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winning Party R R R P[12] D R R R D D D D D R R R D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Washington

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Washington.

U.S. Senate election results in Washington
Race Winner Runner up
2022 57.1%Democratic Party 42.6%Republican Party
2018 58.3%Democratic Party 41.5%Republican Party
2016 58.8%Democratic Party 40.9%Republican Party
2012 60.4%Democratic Party 39.5%Republican Party
2010 52.1%Democratic Party 47.4%Republican Party
Average 57.3 41.8

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Washington

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Washington.

Gubernatorial election results in Washington
Race Winner Runner up
2020 56.6%Democratic Party 43.1%Republican Party
2016 54.2%Democratic Party 45.5%Republican Party
2012 51.4%Democratic Party 48.3%Republican Party
2008 53.0%Democratic Party 46.6%Republican Party
2004 48.9%Democratic Party 48.9%Republican Party
Average 52.8 46.5
See also: Party control of Washington state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Washington's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Washington
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 8 10
Republican 0 2 2
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 10 12

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Washington's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Washington, May 2024
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Jay Inslee
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Denny Heck
Secretary of State Democratic Party Steve Hobbs
Attorney General Democratic Party Bob Ferguson

State legislature

Washington State Senate

Party As of NFebruary 2024
     Democratic Party 29
     Republican Party 20
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 49

Washington House of Representatives

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 58
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 98

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

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[13] 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

The table below details demographic data in Washington and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.

Demographic Data for Washington
Washington United States
Population 7,705,281 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 66,455 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 69.9% 65.9%
Black/African American 3.9% 12.5%
Asian 9.2% 5.8%
Native American 1.2% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.7% 0.2%
Other (single race) 5.2% 6%
Multiple 9.9% 8.8%
Hispanic/Latino 13.5% 18.7%
Education
High school graduation rate 92.1% 89.1%
College graduation rate 38% 34.3%
Income
Median household income $90,325 $75,149
Persons below poverty level 6.3% 8.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022).
**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.

Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for candidates for treasurer in Washington in the 2024 election cycle. Candidates filed for election by paying a fee. If candidates could not afford the filing fee, they could choose to submit petitions. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, click here.

Filing requirements for Washington Treasurer candidates, 2024
Method Filing fee Signatures required Filing deadline Source
Filing fee $1,625.55[14] N/A 5/10/2024 1, 2
Petitions N/A 1,626[15] 5/10/2024 1, 2

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2012.

2020

See also: Washington Treasurer election, 2020

General election candidates

Primary candidates

2016

See also: Washington Treasurer election, 2016

The general election for treasurer was held on November 8, 2016.

Duane Davidson defeated Michael Waite in the Washington treasurer election.

Washington Treasurer, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Duane Davidson 58.15% 1,576,580
     Republican Michael Waite 41.85% 1,134,843
Total Votes 2,711,423
Source: Washington Secretary of State

2012

See also: Washington down ballot state executive elections, 2012

Incumbent James McIntire (D) won re-election on November 6, 2012. He defeated one challenger, Republican Sharon Hanek.

  • 2012 General Election Results for Washington Treasurer
Washington Treasurer General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJames McIntire Incumbent 58.7% 1,695,401
     Republican Sharon Hanek 41.3% 1,192,150
Total Votes 2,887,551
Election results via Washington Secretary of State


About state financial officers (SFO's)

Environmental, social, and corporate governance
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Arguments for and against ESG
Opposition to ESG
Economy and Society: Ballotpedia's weekly ESG newsletter
State financial officer stances on ESG, 2022-2023

Different states have different names for state financial officers, but they all fall into three groups: treasurers, auditors, and controllers.

Broadly, these officials are responsible for things like auditing other government offices, managing payroll, and overseeing pensions. In some states, certain SFOs are also responsible for investing state retirement and trust funds, meaning they decide where that public money goes.

Because of the role SFOs play in managing public investments, they have been involved in debates over environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). ESG refers to an investment or corporate governance approach that involves considering the extent to which corporations conform to certain standards related to environmental, social, and corporate governance issues (such as net carbon emission or corporate board diversity goals) and making business and investment decisions that promote those standards.

2024 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This was a battleground election. Other 2024 battleground elections included:

See also

Washington State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Washington State Executive Offices
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Washington elections: 2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. Washington Treasurer, "Role of the State Treasurer," accessed September 20, 2024
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Tacoma Weekly, "Election Preview 2024: Washington State Treasurer," September 16, 2024
  3. 3.0 3.1 Mike Pellicciotti 2024 campaign website, "Meet Treasurer Mike," accessed September 20, 2024
  4. Linkedin, "Mike Pellicciotti," accessed September 20, 2024
  5. KATU News, "Know Your Candidates 2024: Mike Pellicciotti, Washington State Treasurer," July 20th, 2024
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Sharon Hanek 2024 campaign website, "About Sharon Hanek," accessed September 20, 2024
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 KATU News, "Know Your Candidates 2024: Sharon Hanek, Washington State Treasurer," July 20, 2024
  8. OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
  9. OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
  10. National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
  11. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed December 15, 2023
  12. Progressive Party
  13. Democrats gained full control of the state Senate after a special election on November 7, 2017.
  14. The filing fee is equal to 1% of the annual income for the office. At the time of the 2024 filing deadline, the income for Washington Treasurer was $162,555.
  15. The number of signatures required is equal to 1% of the annual income for the office. At the time of the 2024 filing deadline, the income for Washington Attorney General was $162,555