Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (August 4 top-two primary)
- Primary date: Aug. 4
- Primary type: Top-two
- Registration deadline(s): Aug. 3
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Early voting starts: July 17[1]
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Aug. 4 (received)
- Voter ID: Photo ID
- Poll times: Varies locally[1]
2024 →
← 2016
|
| Washington Lieutenant Governor |
|---|
 |
| Top-two primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: May 15, 2020 |
| Primary: August 4, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent(s): Cyrus Habib (D) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m. (most voting done by mail) Voting in Washington |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2020 Impact of term limits in 2020 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| Washington executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A top-two primary took place on August 4, 2020, in Washington to determine which two candidates would earn the right to run in the state's lieutenant gubernatorial election on November 3, 2020.
Denny Heck and Marko Liias advanced from the primary for Lieutenant Governor of Washington.
This page focuses on Washington's top-two lieutenant gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on Washington's general election, see the following page:
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Washington made no changes to its primary election.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Lieutenant Governor of Washington
The following candidates ran in the primary for Lieutenant Governor of Washington on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Denny Heck (D) | 25.0 | 596,289 |
| ✔ |  | Marko Liias (D) | 18.5 | 441,791 |
 | Ann Davison (R) | 12.0 | 285,597 | |
 | Marty McClendon (R) | 11.4 | 271,995 | |
 | Dick Muri (R) | 10.1 | 241,939 | |
 | Michelle Jasmer (D) | 8.9 | 212,387 | |
 | Joseph Brumbles (R) | 7.3 | 174,823 | |
| James Rafferty (D) | 2.4 | 57,405 | ||
 | Bill Penor (R) | 2.1 | 49,225 | |
| Matt Seymour (L) | 1.1 | 27,125 | ||
 | Jared Frerichs (L)  | 0.9 | 20,847 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 5,205 | ||
| Total votes: 2,384,628 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- C. Mark Greene (Citizens' Party)
- Steve Hobbs (D)
- Cyrus Habib (D)
Endorsements
This section lists endorsements issued in this election. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.
Denny Heck
- Former Gov. Christine Gregoire (D)[2]
Marko Liias
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.[5]
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 | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Washington is a vote-by-mail state. Early voting dates and polling hours apply to county-level vote centers where individuals can instead vote in person.
- ↑ Q13 Fox, "Denny Heck joins crowded field for Washington lieutenant governor," April 9, 2020
- ↑ Twitter, "Jim Brunner on April 7, 2020," accessed April 15, 2020
- ↑ Victory Fund, "Victory Fund Endorses 18 More LGBTQ Candidates for 2020; Davin Sokup Could Be First Out Trans Man State Legislator," March 24, 2020
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
 |
State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
