Washington State Senate District 48
| Washington State Senate District 48 | ||
| Current incumbent | Patricia Kuderer  | |
| Population | 130,423 | |
| Race | 66.9% White, 3.9% Two or More Races, 3.2% Other Race, 23.5% Asian, 2.0% Black, 0.4% American Indian/Alaska Native, 0.2% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander[1] | |
| Ethnicity | 92.5% Not Hispanic, 7.5% Hispanic | |
| Voting age | 78.7% age 18 and over | |
Washington's forty-eighth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Patricia Kuderer.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 130,423 civilians reside within the 44.3 square miles of Washington's forty-eighth state senate district. The population per square mile is 3,759. The median age of these residents is 36.1.[2] Washington's state senators represent an average of 137,236 residents.[3] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 120,288 residents.[4]
About the office
Members of the Washington State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Washington legislators assume office the second Monday of January.[5]
Qualifications
Section 7 of Article 2 of the Washington State 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."[6]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[7] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $60,191/year for senators. $61,997/year for representatives. | $206/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Washington State Legislature, the board of county commissioners where the vacant seat is located has the responsibility to select a replacement. The county central committee of the political party that last held the seat must submit a list of three candidates to the board of county commissioners representing the vacant district. If the vacancy occurs in the office of a joint senator or joint representative, the state central committee is responsible for submitting the list of three candidates. A selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy occurred. The person appointed will hold the seat until his or her successor is elected at the next general or special election in November.[8]
See sources: Washington Const. Art. 2, Sec. 15
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Washington State Senate District 48
Incumbent Patricia Kuderer defeated Rodney Tom in the general election for Washington State Senate District 48 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Patricia Kuderer (D) | 65.0 | 33,533 |
 | Rodney Tom (D) | 35.0 | 18,027 | |
| Total votes: 51,560 | |||
 = 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 State Senate District 48
Incumbent Patricia Kuderer and Rodney Tom defeated Bill Hirt in the primary for Washington State Senate District 48 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patricia Kuderer (D) | 60.1 | 18,698 |
| ✔ | | Rodney Tom (D) | 29.5 | 9,175 |
 | Bill Hirt (Independent) | 10.4 | 3,251 | |
| Total votes: 31,124 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2017
A special election for the position of Washington State Senate District 48 was called for November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on August 1, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 19, 2017.[9]
The seat was vacated by Cyrus Habib (D) after he was elected to the position of Lieutenant Governor of Washington. Patricia Kuderer (D) was appointed to fill the vacancy until the November election.
Incumbent Patricia Kuderer (D) and Michelle Darnell (L) defeated Richard Knierim (Ind. Dem.) in the top-two primary.[10] Kuderer defeated Darnell in the November 7 general election.
| Washington State Senate, District 48, Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Patricia Kuderer |
68.9% | 21,212 | |
| Libertarian | Michelle Darnell | 31.1% | 9,553 | |
| Total Votes | 30,765 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
2014
- See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for 25 districts in the Washington State Senate took place in 2014. A blanket primary election took place on August 5, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2014. Cyrus Habib (D) and Michelle Darnelle (R) were unopposed in the primary. Habib defeated Darnelle in the general election.[11][12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cyrus Habib |
64.9% | 24,833 | |
| Republican | Michelle Darnelle | 35.1% | 13,446 | |
| Total Votes | 38,279 | |||
2010
- See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Washington State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 17, 2010, and a general election on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democrat Rodney Tom defeated Republican Gregg Bennett in the general election. Tom and Bennett were unopposed in the blanket primary election.[14][15]
| Washington State Senate, District 48, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Rodney Tom Incumbent |
52.6% | 24,559 | |
| Republican | Gregg Bennett | 47.4% | 22,104 | |
| Total Votes | 46,663 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2022, candidates for Washington State Senate District 48 raised a total of $3,112,121. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $172,896 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Washington State Senate District 48 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $282,248 | 2 | $141,124 |
| 2018 | $595,154 | 3 | $198,385 |
| 2017 | $95,195 | 1 | $95,195 |
| 2014 | $337,027 | 2 | $168,514 |
| 2012 | $3,750 | 1 | $3,750 |
| 2010 | $860,550 | 2 | $430,275 |
| 2008 | $4,150 | 1 | $4,150 |
| 2006 | $745,239 | 2 | $372,620 |
| 2004 | $5,450 | 1 | $5,450 |
| 2002 | $183,359 | 3 | $61,120 |
| Total | $3,112,121 | 18 | $172,896 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ For more information on the parameters the U.S. Census Bureau use, please see our Race and Ethnicity on the United States Census page.
- ↑ State of Washington, "Demographic Data," accessed October 13, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "2010 Census Interactive Population Search," accessed February 14, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population," April 2, 2001
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 44.04.021 Commencement of terms of office," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "Constitution of the State of Washington," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ Washington Legislature, "Washington Constitution - Section Article II, Section 15," accessed February 8, 2023
- ↑ Governing.com, "Senate control up for grabs in 3 states' special elections," February 15, 2017
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "August 1, 2017 Primary Results," accessed August 1, 2017
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2014 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "August 5, 2014, Official Primary Results," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Official general election results, 2014," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, August 17, 2010 Primary Results, September 3, 2010
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, Legislative - All Results, November 29, 2010
