Washington Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

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Washington Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election

Primary Date: August 2, 2016

General Election Date: November 8, 2016

November Election Winner: Cyrus Habib (D)

Incumbent Prior to Election: Brad Owen (D)

State Executive Elections Top Ballot Governor • Lt. Governor Secretary of State • Attorney General Down Ballot Auditor • Insurance Commissioner Natural Resources Commissioner Superintendent • Treasurer

Key election dates

Filing deadline: May 20, 2016

Primary date: August 2, 2016

Filing deadline (write-ins): October 21, 2016

General election date: November 8, 2016

Recount request deadline: TBD

Inauguration: TBD

Washington held an election for lieutenant governor on November 8, 2016, with a primary on August 2. State Senator Cyrus Habib (D) won the general election, keeping the lieutenant governor's office in Democratic hands.

HIGHLIGHTS

Six-term incumbent Lt. Governor Brad Owen (D) chose not to seek re-election to the office.

State Senator Cyrus Habib (D) and radio host Marty McClendon (R) placed first and second respectively in the August 2 primary election. They competed in the November 8 general election.

The office of lieutenant governor has been held by only three people since 1957; the last open election for the seat was decided by less than 2 percentage points.

Habib defeated McClendon in the general election.

Overview

In Washington, the lieutenant governor serves as president of the state Senate. In that capacity, he or she presides over sessions and acts as the Senate's lead parliamentarian, making final decisions on questions of procedure that can heavily influence the progress of a bill through the chamber.

The office of lieutenant governor has been held by only three people since 1957, and by only one Republican from 1989 to 1997. Incumbent Brad Owen (D) has been re-elected five times; however, his initial election to the office in the 1996 open race was decided by less than 2 percentage points. Washington has a divided government: Republicans hold a one-seat majority in the House, while Democrats control the Senate and the governorship.

Heading into the primary election, State Senator Cyrus Habib (D) had a firm fundraising lead over all other candidates, reporting over $600,000 in total contributions this election cycle as of July 2016. The next highest fundraiser, Steve Hobbs—also a Democratic state senator—reported just under $345,000 in contributions. Hobbs, Habib, and state Senator Karen Fraser (D) all earned several key endorsements in the race. Habib and radio host Marty McClendon (R) placed first and second respectively in the August 2 top-two primary election and competed in the general election in November.

The 2016 primary election for lieutenant governor attracted a particularly diverse pool of candidates: Habib is the son of Iranian immigrants, Hobbs is of Japanese descent, Javier Figueroa (R) is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Mexican descent, and Phillip Yin (R) is the son of Chinese immigrants.

Candidates

Cyrus Habib (D)
Most recent position: State Sen. since 2015
Past experience: State Rep. from 2013 to 2015

Marty McClendon (R)
Most recent position: Radio host
Past experience: Anesthesia technician

Click show to the right to view candidates who were defeated in the primary election or who declined to run in this race.

Defeated in the primary election Karen Fraser (D) Most recent position: State Sen. since 1993 Past experience: State Rep. from 1989 to 1992 Steve Hobbs (D) Most recent position: State Sen. since 2007 Past experience: U.S. Army Reserve captain Javier Figueroa (R) Most recent position: Mayor of University Place since January 2016 Past experience: Business arbitrator, real estate asset manager Phillip Yin (R) Most recent position: Investor, journalist Past experience: Anchor for Bloomberg Television and CNBC Asia Paul Addis (Lib.) Most recent position: Senior business analyst, Alaska Airlines Past experience: Auditor, Delta Airlines; vice president, Belltown Community Council, 2014 Other candidates Ballotpedia uses a variety of standards to determine which candidates will feature prominently in a given race. Bill Penor (R) Karen Wallace (D) Daniel Davies (Ind.) Mark Greene (Citizens Party) Declined James Moeller (D) - state representative Brad Owen (D) - Incumbent

Results

General election

Cyrus Habib defeated Marty McClendon in the Washington lieutenant governor election.

Washington Lieutenant Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Cyrus Habib	54.39%	1,698,297
	Republican	Marty McClendon	45.61%	1,424,277
Total Votes				3,122,574
Source: Washington Secretary of State

Primary election

The following candidates ran in the Washington primary for lieutenant governor.

Washington primary for lieutenant governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Cyrus Habib	22.26%	294,641
	Republican	Marty McClendon	19.17%	253,714
	Democratic	Karen Fraser	15.66%	207,271
	Democratic	Steve Hobbs	15.29%	202,427
	Republican	Phillip Yin	10.70%	141,680
	Democratic	Karen Wallace	4.47%	59,175
	Republican	Javier Figueroa	4.25%	56,214
	Republican	Bill Penor	4.00%	52,986
	Libertarian	Paul Addis	1.99%	26,304
	Independent	Daniel Davies	1.25%	16,491
	Citizens Party	Mark Greene	0.96%	12,692
Total Votes				1,323,595
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.

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.

Incumbent Brad Owen (D)

Owen was first elected in 1996 and was subsequently re-elected every four years leading up to the election. He faced ethics accusations, including an accusation that he misused official resources to support a nonprofit organization he started. He settled with the state Executive Ethics Board in 2014, agreeing to pay a $15,000 fine, while maintaining that he was not guilty of any wrongdoing. Though he had initially filed paperwork with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission for a 2016 re-election bid, on March 8, 2016, he announced he would instead retire.

Prior to his tenure as lieutenant governor, Owen served in both the House of Representatives and state Senate. Before entering politics, he worked as a small business owner.

Party control in Washington

Washington had a divided government entering the 2016 election. Democrats controlled the governorship and also held a two-seat majority in the state house. Republicans gained control of the state senate in the 2014 elections by a one-seat majority, which ended a seven-year Democratic trifecta. Ballotpedia identified both chambers of the state legislature as battleground chambers in the 2016 elections. Party control of state government had the potential to shift after the November elections, but did not. Democrats retained control of the governorship and the state house. Democrats also gained a one-seat majority in the state senate, but did not take control of the chamber due to a Democratic senator who decided to caucus with the Republicans. Republicans thereby maintained control of the state senate, which resulted in the continuation of the state's divided government.

Prior to the 2016 election, both of Washington's U.S. Senate seats had been occupied by Democrats since 2001, and the state's electoral votes had gone to the Democratic presidential candidate every election cycle since 1988. Senator Patty Murray (D) won re-election and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the state's presidential electoral votes in the November general election.

The office of lieutenant governor had been held by only three people since 1957: Democrat John A. Cherbourg, who served from 1957 to 1989; Republican Joel Pritchard, who served from 1989 to 1997; and Lt. Governor Brad Owen (D), who assumed office in 1997. The last open election for lieutenant governor took place in 1996 and was decided by less than 2 percentage points.

Campaigns

Debates

Primary election debate, July 6, 2016

Eight of the 11 primary candidates for lieutenant governor debated on July 6, 2016, in Spokane: Sen. Karen Fraser (D), Sen. Steve Hobbs (D), Bill Penor (R), Javier Figueroa (R), Phillip Yin (R), Sen. Cyrus Habib (D), Marty McClendon (R), and Paul Addis (Lib.). The eight candidates primarily differed on the duties and responsibilities of the office. Fraser stated she would focus on economic growth via education and civil rights protection. Hobbs expressed interest in becoming involved in the state's emergency management departments. Yin said he would create jobs by bringing in overseas investors. Figueroa said he would support small business. Habib stated he would hold legislatures accountable to following rules and procedures.

The candidates also argued over whether the lieutenant governor can refuse to sign a bill if he or she found it unconstitutional. As president of the Senate, the lieutenant governor is charged with signing bills to confirm they passed the legislature before they are given to the governor. Habib had previously stated he would do so, while other candidates, including Fraser and Hobbs, said that such an act was not within the powers of the office. If the lieutenant governor does not sign a bill, the president pro tempore would sign in his or her stead. Habib stated at the debate that refusing to sign a bill would be a symbolic gesture.

Campaign finance

Note: If a candidate is not listed below, he or she did not exceed the minimum requirements for reporting campaign finance information to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

General election

Cyrus Habib Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	November 4, 2016	$0	$972,644.16	$(964,692.21)	$
			Running totals
			$972,644.16	$(964,692.21)

Marty McClendon Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	November 4, 2016	$0	$113,742.56	$(106,600.53)	$
			Running totals
			$113,742.56	$(106,600.53)

Primary candidates

Karen Fraser Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	August 1, 2016	$0	$256,293.45	$(237,313.46)	$
			Running totals
			$256,293.45	$(237,313.46)

Steve Hobbs Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	August 1, 2016	$	$400,332.68	$(373,905.67)	$
			Running totals
			$400,332.68	$(373,905.67)

Javier Figueroa Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	August 1, 2016	$0	$47,213.77	$(42,587.65)	$
			Running totals
			$47,213.77	$(42,587.65)

Bill Penor Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	August 1, 2016	$0	$3,600.00	$(0)	$
			Running totals
			$3,600	$(0)

Phillip Yin Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	August 1, 2016	$0	$154,434.00	$(135,735.37)	$
			Running totals
			$154,434	$(135,735.37)

Paul Addis Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	August 1, 2016	$	$2,884.84	$(1,946.23)	$
			Running totals
			$2,884.84	$(1,946.23)

Endorsements

Primary election key endorsements, Democratic candidates (1 of 2)
Karen Fraser	Cyrus Habib
Washington Federation of State Employees, AFL-CIO	Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D)
Washington State Nurses Association	American Federation of Teachers- Washington
Retired Firefighters of Washington	Washington Conservation Voters
State Treasurer Jim McIntire (D)	Washington Education Association
State House Speaker Pro Tempore James Moeller (D)	Washington State Council of County & City Employees (AFSCME)
The Tacoma News Tribune	State House Deputy Majority Floor Leader Steve Bergquist (D)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77	Former U.S. Congressman Norm Dicks (D)
Emily's List
What is a key endorsement?

Primary election key endorsements, Democratic candidates (2 of 2)
Steve Hobbs	Bill Penor	Karen Wallace
Former Governor of Washington Gary Locke (D)
State Senate Minority Caucus Vice Chair Mark Mullet (D)
State House Deputy Majority Leader Larry Springer (D)
Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council
Washington Realtors
WA State Patrol Troopers Association
Association of Washington Businesses
What is a key endorsement?

Primary election key endorsements, Republican candidates
Javier Figueroa	Marty McClendon	Phillip Yin
Former Attorney General Rob McKenna (R)		State Senator Brian Dansel (R)
		Mainstream Republicans of Washington
What is a key endorsement?

Campaign media

Declared candidates' campaign and social media sites: Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!

Democrats

Karen Fraser (D)
Cyrus Habib (D)
Steve Hobbs (D)

Republicans

Javier Figueroa (R)
Marty McClendon (R)
Phillip Yin (R)
Bill Penor (R)

Paul Addis (Lib.)
Daniel Davies (Ind.)
Mark Greene (Citizens Party)

Know of a candidate's campaign site not listed? Tell us!

About the office

The lieutenant governor of the State of Washington is an elected constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the executive branch, and the first officer in line to succeed the governor of Washington. The lieutenant governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and has no term limit.

Though not a voting member of the state Senate, the lieutenant governor nonetheless serves as its president, and as chair and a voting member of the Senate Rules Committee, which ushers bills through committees onto the Senate floor for debate. In this way, the lieutenant governor can have significant influence over the progress of a bill through the chamber. He or she also has the power to make appointments to many state boards and commissions.

The office could theoretically be abolished, as the Washington Constitution specifically allows the legislature to take such a step at its discretion.

Click here to learn more about the role of lieutenant governors in state government

Incumbent

The incumbent was Brad Owen (D). He was first elected in 1996 and won re-election in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012.

Qualifications

Under Article 3, Section 25 of the state constitution, a candidate for lieutenant governor must be:

• a citizen of the United States
• a qualified elector in Washington

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.

Constitutional provisions

The constitutional duties, rights, and responsibilities of the office of the governor of Washington are primarily laid out in Article III of the Washington State Constitution. Section 10 and Section 16 of the article deal with lieutenant governor's duty as first in the line of gubernatorial succession and as president of the state senate, respectively.

Past elections

2012

See also: Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012

Incumbent Brad Owen (D) defeated Bill Finkbeiner (R) to win re-election on November 6, 2012.

Lieutenant Governor of Washington General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brad Owen Incumbent	53.7%	1,575,133
	Republican	Bill Finkbeiner	46.3%	1,359,212
Total Votes				2,934,345
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

2008

On November 4, 2008, Brad Owen won re-election to the office of Washington Lieutenant Governor. He defeated Marcia McCraw (R) in the general election.

Washington Lieutenant Governor, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brad Owen Incumbent	60.8%	1,718,033
	Republican	Marcia McCraw	39.2%	1,107,634
Total Votes				2,825,667
Election results via Washington Secretary of State.

2004

On November 2, 2004, Brad Owen won re-election to the office of Washington Lieutenant Governor. He defeated Jim Wiest (R), Jocelyn A. Langlois (L) and Bern Haggerty (G) in the general election.

Washington Lieutenant Governor, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brad Owen Incumbent	54.4%	1,443,505
	Republican	Jim Wiest	38.4%	1,019,790
	Libertarian	Jocelyn A. Langlois	4.4%	117,147
	Green	Bern Haggerty	2.8%	73,328
Total Votes				2,653,770
Election results via Washington Secretary of State.

2000

On November 7, 2000, Brad Owen won re-election to the office of Washington Lieutenant Governor. He defeated William (Mike) Elliott (R) and Ruth E. Bennett (L) in the general election.

Washington Lieutenant Governor, 2000
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brad Owen Incumbent	54.2%	1,247,838
	Republican	William (Mike) Elliott	37.9%	872,853
	Libertarian	Ruth E. Bennett	7.8%	179,567
Total Votes				2,300,258
Election results via Washington Secretary of State.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington state lieutenant governor election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Washington Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016 - Google News

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.

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:

• Washington state executive offices
• Washington State Legislature
• Washington courts

Previous elections:

• State executive official elections, 2015
• State executive official elections, 2014

Ballotpedia exclusives:

• State executives compensation
• State of the state addresses
• Who runs the states?

External links

• Office of the Washington Lieutenant Governor

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