Washington State 2024 Primary Election Summary
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The results for the WA State “Top Two Jungle Primary” are in. Our current primary system allows the top two candidate vote-getters (of any party or non-party) in each race to advance to the general election.
According to the WA State SOS Website, there are 4,874,877 active registered voters in WA State, and 1,994,096 votes were cast, representing a 40.91% voter turnout. This is down about 13.5 % from 2020, when there was a 54.44% recorded voter turnout in the primary election.
Here are the results of some key races to watch in November.
US SENATOR RACE: Eleven people were in the race. The top vote-getter was Democrat Maria Cantwell, with 57.18%, Republican Dr. Raul Garcia was second, with 22.13%. Big Congratulations to Dr. Garcia, a first-time US Senate Candidate!
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 3 - U.S. Representative
The CD 3 race gives Republicans a great chance to win back an important US Congressional seat. When you combine third-place Republican Leslie Lewallen and Republican Front-runner Joe Kent, Kent is comfortably ahead of Democratic incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 4 - U.S. Representative
CD 4 is the most Republican-leaning district in WA State. Second-time Republican Candidate Jerrod Sessler hit all his campaign targets and has a good chance to unseat Republican Dan Newhouse. If Jerrod can win, he will add an essential Conservative voice to Congress!
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 5 - U.S. Representative
CD 5 is an open seat and a pivotal race to replace outgoing US Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Republican Michael Baumgartner did very well and should win this race comfortably in November.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 8 - U.S. Representative
Carmen Goers did well as a first-time candidate, giving the Republican Party an outside chance to pick up a key US Congressional seat in the 8th CD.
Recently I wrote about this amazingly close race that many are now watching statewide and nationally! Second-place finisher Dave Upthegrove and current third-place Sue Kuehl Pederson are currently separated by only 51 votes and in a statistical tie at 20.82% with over 1.9 Million Votes Recorded. Former Republican Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler was the first-place finisher with 22.03%.
The race is the closest statewide race in the history of Washington’s primary, exceeding the 1960 Superintendent of Public Instruction primary, where A. T. Van Devanter and Harold L. Anderson were separated by only 252 votes.
Now the race will be decided by a mandatory statewide hand recount in all 39 counties per RCW 29A.64.021. The recount began yesterday in many counties and is the first since the controversial 2004 WA State Rossi / Gegoire Governor race!
For more on this see: More Serious Concerns with WA State Elections, Including King County, In 2024 it Just Continues…
GOVERNOR: 28 candidates are now down two. Democrat AG Bob Ferguson received 44.88% and top Republican Dave Reichert finished with 27.48%. Reichert is a former WA State 7 term Congressional Representative and for 12 years was the Sheriff of King County, he has an outside chance to win this “open” seat being vacated by Jay Inslee. Republican Semi Bird had much “grassroots support” but only received 10.79% of the vote, and finished third.
LT. GOVERNOR: Republican Dan Matthews gives the GOP a long-shot chance as Dan emerged from the five-man scrum to finish second with 23% of the vote. The top vote-getter was Democrat incumbent Denny Heck at 48.62%.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Republican Pete Serrano (42.11%) won this important three-person race, helping to eliminate Radical Leftist Manka Dhingra. Democrat Nick Brown finished second with 35.28% of the vote. Serrano now has an outside chance to win this “open” seat being vacated by Ferguson.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION: Incumbent Chris Reykdal finished with only 39.3%, leaving the door open for second-place finisher David Olson (31.22%) to win this race. Seattle Times endorsed Reid Saaris, who had raised over $350,000 and ran on an anti-Reykdal campaign, received 23.94%, and fourth-place finisher John Blair finished with 5.12%.
SECRETARY OF STATE: There were four candidates in this race. Big Congratulations to first-time Republican candidate Dale Whitaker, who finished second with 36.87%; incumbent Steve Hobbs got 48.38%.
STATE TREASURER: Incumbent Democrat Mike Pellicciotti (58.32%) and Republican CPA Sharon Hanek (41.6%) advanced to the general election.
STATE AUDITOR: Incumbent Democrat Pat McCarthy (58.82%) and Republican Matt Hawkins (41.09%) advanced to the general election.
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER: Republican State Senator Phil Fortunato now has a chance to win this ‘open” statewide office seat. Fortunato finished second in this eight-person race with 28.52% of the vote to Democrat Patty Kuderer who was recorded with 45.18% of the vote.
JUDICIAL: SUPREME COURT - Justice Position #02: Sal Mungia (43.43%) was the top vote-getter to the more qualified Judge Dave Larson, who received 36.45%, two other candidates were eliminated.
The really good news is that Republicans appear to still control the east side of the state in the legislature and also have survived the recent Blatant Democrat-led Gerrymandering with their redistricting efforts in key LDs 13, 14, 15, and 16, where Republicans won every race comfortably.
Also, in the affected redistricted 17th LD, Republicans all won, but by closer margins. More info see: WA State Democrats Go for the Kill Shot With Latest Blatant Gerrymandering.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 5: In the State Senate race, Republican Chad Magendanz (46.16%) has an outside chance to flip a seat from D to R against Democratic incumbent Bill Ramos, who got 53.78%.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 10: LD 10 is a “swing” District. Republican incumbent State Senator Ron Muzzall finished in a disappointing first place (48.24%) compared to second place Janet St. Clair (45.64%). Third place Democrat Denny Sandberg finished with 5.99%. Muzzall can and should still win but has much work to do.
LD 10 State House (Pos 1): Democrat Serial Liar incumbent Clyde Shavers won with 52.32% and Republican candidate Carrie Kennedy (26.42%) ousted Yvonne Gallardo (21.14%). Republicans now have a chance to flip this seat from D to R.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 18: Republicans look good holding all three seats! State House (Pos 2): A huge congratulations to candidate John Ley, who finished as the top Republican with 38.44% of the vote to Democrat John Zingale (47.82%); third place was Republican Philip Johnson with 13.64%.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 26: State House - Republicans Jessie Young (Pos 1) and Michelle Caldier (Pos 2) both advanced to the general election against Democrats.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 39: Incumbent Republican State Senator Keith Wagoner easily advanced to the general election with 59.68% of the vote.
LD 39 State House (Pos 1): Republican Robert Sutherland now has a chance to regain his lost 2022 legislative seat. He took out two other competitors and made the top two with 27.63% to Republican incumbent Sam Low with 38.79%.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 42: Two Republicans advanced to the general election. State House (Pos 1), Republican first-time candidate Raymond Pelletti (45.72%) has an outside chance of unseating incumbent Democrat Alicia Rule (46.58%). And State House (Pos 2) Republican first-time candidate Kamal Bhachu (47.14%) now has a chance to defeat incumbent candidate Joe Timmons (52.73%).
For all races, see the WA State SoS Website Link Here
It truly amazes me that many voters say they reason they do not vote is because “it won’t matter.” That is a crazy defeatist attitude. EVERY VOTE IS IMPORTANT AND EVERY VOTE MATTERS!
For Republicans and Conservatives to win in November, it is vital to vote and to help get out the vote. Every ballot and every vote are more important than ever!
Bill Bruch
Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Chairman, WAGOP Executive Board Member, 4-Term Skagit County GOP Chairman, Citizen Journalist, Blogger, Business Owner, “2021 Citizen Activist of the Year” award recipient by the Olympic Conference, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 and 2024 RNC National Convention Delegate.