Political party strength in Washington (state) explained

Washington ratified its constitution and held its first state elections in 1889, the year it was admitted to the union as a state. It established the positions of governor, lieutenant governor, Secretary of State, attorney general, state treasurer, state auditor, Commissioner of Public Lands, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. The position of insurance commissioner was legislatively established in 1907. All positions are elected to four-year terms, concurrent with presidential elections. Washington is one of three states that elects nine separate statewide officials, while six others elect ten.

The table also indicates the historical party composition in the State Senate, State House of Representatives, State delegation to the U.S. Senate, and State delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives. State senators are elected to four-year terms, with half elected every two years. State representatives are elected to two-year terms, and two from each of 49 legislative districts in separate elections.

While the U.S. state of Washington is considered a solidly Democratic state, it mainly elected Republican candidates during its first forty years of statehood. It currently holds the longest streak of Democratic governors in the nation, having last elected a Republican to the top executive office in 1980.[1] [2] The office of auditor has been held continuously by Democrats since 1933, when the national wave for President Franklin Roosevelt swept the party into every statewide race and congressional district except the uncontested office of superintendent of public instruction. That position was made nonpartisan in 1940. At the presidential level, Washington is part of the "blue wall", having voted for all Democratic nominees since 1988.

Prior to statehood, the President of the United States appointed a territorial governor and secretary of state, who served as acting governor when the governor was absent from the state. The position of attorney general was established in 1887, and only one person held office before statehood. A non-voting delegate was elected to the House of Representatives.

The nine members of the Washington Supreme Court are also elected statewide to six-year terms but on a nonpartisan basis and are not listed here. However all members of the court are considered liberal-leaning, matching the state's overall electorate.[3] [4]

Voters do not register as members of political parties.

The tables below show the history of officeholders elected to statewide executive offices, the state legislature, and the U.S. Congress, as well as the winners of the state's electoral college votes.

For years in which a presidential election was held, the table indicates which party's nominees received the state's electoral votes.

Washington Territory

The first territorial superintendent of public education was elected by the legislature in 1861 to a three-year term, but the position was disestablished after just one year. It was reestablished in 1871, elected by the legislature to a two-year term.[5] The superintendent was chair of the governor-appointed board of education, which met in the hometown of the superintendent in several cities around the state until statehood when the office remained in Olympia.

YearExecutive officesTerritorial LegislatureUnited States Congress
Governor[6] [7] Sec. of TerritoryAttorney GeneralTreasurerAuditorSupt. of Pub. Inst.Territorial SenateTerritorial HouseDelegate
1853Isaac Stevens (D)Charles H. Masonno such officeno such officeno such officeno such officeColumbia Lancaster (D)
1854William CockDaniel R. Bigelow[8]
1855James Patton Anderson (D)
1856J. M. Walker
1857Fayette McMullen (D)Henry R. Crosbie[9] Isaac Stevens (D)
1858David L. PhillipsUrban E. Hicks
1859Richard D. Gholson (D)W. C. Rutledge
1860Henry M. McGillAndrew Jackson Moses
1861William H. Wallace (R)Leander Jay Sharpe Turney (D)[10] [11] Uzal G. WarbassJames Clark HeadBenjamin C. LippincottWilliam H. Wallace (R)
1862William Pickering (R)no such office
1863Elwood Evans (D)David L. PhillipsR. M. WalkerGeorge Edward Cole (D)
1864William Cock
1865Daniel R. BigelowUrban E. HicksArthur A. Denny (R)
1866George Edward Cole (D)Benjamin F. Harned
1867Marshall F. Moore (R)Ezra Leonard SmithJames TiltonAlvan Flanders (R)
1868Benjamin F. Harned John M. Murphy
1869Alvan Flanders (R)Selucius Garfielde (R)
1870Edward S. Salomon (R)
1871James F. Scott Hill HarmonJ. G. SparksNelson Rounds
1872Elisha P. Ferry (R)Josiah H. MunsonN. S. Potter
1873Joseph C. Clements John M. MurphyObadiah B. McFadden (D)
1874Henry G. Struve (R)Elisha Treat Gunn
1875Francis TarbellJohn R. WheatOrange Jacobs (R)
1876
1877Thomas M. Reed (R)John Paul Judson
1878Nicholas Owings (R)
1879Jonathan S. HoughtonThomas Hurley Brents (R)
1880William A. Newell (R)
1881Thomas N. FordCharles W. Wheeler
1882
1883Robert C. Kerr
1884Watson C. Squire (R)
1885J. C. LawrenceCharles Stewart Voorhees (D)
1886William McMicken
1887Eugene Semple (D)James B. Metcalfe (D)J. H. Morgan
1888John M. Murphy
1889Miles Conway Moore (R)Oliver Cromwell WhiteFrank Irvin BlodgettJohn B. Allen (R)
YearGovernorSec. of TerritoryAttorney GeneralTreasurerAuditorSupt. of Pub. Inst.Territorial SenateTerritorial HouseDelegate
Executive officesTerritorial LegislatureUnited States Congress

State of Washington

At statehood, the constitution established eight positions that would be elected statewide. The officials take office in the January following their election. The insurance commissioner was first elected in 1908.

YearExecutive offices[12] State LegislatureUnited States CongressElectoral
votes[13]
class=unsortableGovernor[14] class=unsortableLt. Governor[15] class=unsortableSec. of State[16] class=unsortableAttorney General[17] class=unsortableTreasurer[18] [19] class=unsortableAuditor[20] [21] class=unsortableComm. of
Pub. Lands[22] [23] 		class=unsortableInsurance Comm.[24] class=unsortableSupt. of
Pub. Inst.[25] 		class=unsortableState Senateclass=unsortableState Houseclass=unsortableU.S. Senator
(Class I)[26] 		class=unsortableU.S. Senator
(Class III)[27] 		class=unsortableU.S.
House
1889Elisha P. Ferry (R)Charles E. Laughton (R)Allan Weir (R)William Carey Jones (R)Addison Alexander
Lindsley (R)		Thomas M. Reed (R)William T. Forrest (R)no such officeRobert Bruce Bryan (R)34R, 1D61R, 8D, 1IJohn B. Allen (R)Watson C. Squire (R)1R
1890
189130R, 4D60R, 18D
1892Harrison/
Reid (R)
1893John McGraw (R)F. H. Luce (R)James Price (R)Orzo A. Bowen (R)Leban R. Grimes (R)Charles W. Bean (R)25R, 9D50R, 20D, 8Pvacant2R
1894
1895John E. Frost (R)26R, 5D, 3Pop54R, 20Pop, 4DJohn L. Wilson (R)
18962 – Bryan/
Sewall (D/SvR)
2 – Bryan/
Watson (Pop)
1897John Rankin Rogers (Pop)Thurston Daniels (Pop)Will Jenkins (Pop)Patrick Henry Winston (Pop)Cyrus Wilber Young (Pop)Neal Cheetham (Pop)Robert Bridges (Pop)Frank J. Browne (Pop)15Pop, 13R, 4D, 2SvR45Pop, 12R, 11SvR, 10DGeorge Turner (D)1D, 1SvR
1898
189915R, 12Pop, 7D68R, 9Pop, 1CitAddison G. Foster (R)2R
1900McKinley/
Roosevelt (R)
1901John Rankin Rogers (D)[28] Henry McBride (R)Sam Nichols (R)[29] Wickliffe Stratton (R)C. W. Maynard (R)John D. Atkinson (R)S. A. Callvert (R)Robert Bruce Bryan (R)26R, 8D59R, 21D
Henry McBride (R)[30] vacant
1902
190333R, 9D80R, 14DLevi Ankeny (R)3R
1904Roosevelt/
Fairbanks (R)
1905Albert E. Mead (R)Charles E. Coon (R)John Atkinson (R)George G. Mills (R)Charles W. Clausen (R)E. W. Ross (R)38R, 4D90R, 4DSamuel H. Piles (R)
1906
190785R, 9D
1908Taft/
Sherman (R)
1909Samuel G. Cosgrove (R)Marion E. Hay (R)Walter Bell (R)John G. Lewis (R)John H. Schively (R)Henry B. Dewey (R)39R, 3D88R, 6DWesley Livsey Jones (R)
Marion E. Hay (R)vacantIthamar Howell (R)[31]
1910
1911William V. Tanner (R)38R, 4D84R, 13DMiles Poindexter (R)
1912Roosevelt/
Johnson (Prog)
1913Ernest Lister (D)Louis F. Hart (R)Edward Meath (R)Clark V. Savidge (R)Herbert O. Fishback (R)Josephine Corliss Preston (R)27R, 9D, 6Prog49R, 29Prog, 19DMiles Poindexter (Prog)3R, 2Prog
1914
191529R, 7Prog, 6D79R, 13D, 5ProgMiles Poindexter (R)4R, 1D
1916Wilson/
Marshall (D)
1917William Watts
Sherman (R)		37R, 5D83R, 14D
1918
1919Louis F. Hart (R)[32] vacantLindsay Levant Thompson (R)39R, 3D87R, 10D5R
1920Jay Hinkle (R)Harding/
Coolidge (R)
1921William J. Coyle (R)Clifford L. Babcock (R)40R, 1D, 1FL94R, 2FL, 1D
1922
1923John H. Dunbar (R)39R, 2FL, 1D84R, 9D, 4FLClarence Dill (D)
4R, 1D
1924Coolidge/
Dawes (R)
1925Roland H. Hartley (R)W. Lon Johnson (R)W. G. Potts (R)40R, 2D92R, 5D
1926
192789R, 8D
1928Hoover/
Curtis (R)
1929John Arthur Gellatly (R)Charles W. Hinton (R)Noah D. Showalter (R)41R, 1D91R, 6D
1930
193190R, 7D
1932Elijah S. Grammer (R)Roosevelt/
Garner (D)
1933Clarence D. Martin (D)Victor Aloysius Meyers (D)Ernest Hutchinson (D)Garrison Hamilton (D)Otto A. Case (D)Cliff Yelle (D)Albert C. Martin (D)William A. Sullivan (D)25D, 21R70D, 29RHomer Bone (D)6D
1934
193541D, 5R93D, 6RLewis B. Schwellenbach (D)
1936
1937Phil H. Gallagher (D)Stanley F. Atwood (D)37D, 9R91D, 8R
1938Belle Reeves (D)
193940D, 6R73D, 26R
1940Roosevelt/
Wallace (D)
1941Arthur B. Langlie (R)Smith Troy (D)Otto A. Case (D)Jack Taylor (D)Pearl Anderson Wanamaker (NP/D)37D, 9R68D, 31RMonrad Wallgren (D)
1942
194327D, 19R59D, 40R3D, 3R
1944Roosevelt/
Truman (D)
1945Monrad Wallgren (D)Russell H. Fluent (D)Otto A. Case (D)32D, 14R63D, 36RHugh Mitchell (D)Warren Magnuson (D)4D, 2R
1946
194723R, 23D72R, 27DHarry P. Cain (R)5R, 1D
1948Earl Coe (D)Truman/
Barkley (D)
1949Arthur B. Langlie (R)Tom Martin (D)Jack Taylor (D)27R, 19D67D, 32R4R, 2D
1950
195125D, 21R54D, 45R
1952Eisenhower/
Nixon (R)
1953Emmett T. Anderson (R)Don Eastvold (R)Charles R. Maybury (R)Otto A. Case (D)25R, 21D58R, 41DHenry M. Jackson (D)6R, 1D
1954
195524R, 22D50D, 49R
1956
1957Albert Rosellini (D)John Cherberg (D)Victor Aloysius Meyers (D)John J. O'Connell (D)Tom Martin (D)Bert L. Cole (D)Lloyd J. Andrews (NP/R)31D, 15R56D, 43R
1958
195935D, 14R66D, 33R
1960Nixon/
Lodge (R)
1961Lee I. Kueckelhan (D)Louis Bruno (NP)36D, 13R60D, 39R5R, 2D
1962
196332D, 17R51D, 48R6R, 1D
1964Johnson/
Humphrey (D)
1965Daniel J. Evans (R)Lud Kramer (R)Robert S. O'Brien (D)Robert V. Graham (D)60D, 39R5D, 2R
1966
196729D, 20R55R, 44D
1968Humphrey/
Muskie (D)
1969Slade Gorton (R)Karl Hermann (D)27D, 22R56R, 43D
1970
197129D, 20R51R, 48D6D, 1R
1972Nixon/
Agnew (R)
1973Frank Brouillet (NP/D)30D, 19R57D, 41R
1974
1975Bruce Chapman (R)62D, 36R
1976Ford/
Dole (R)
1977Dixy Lee Ray (D)Richard G. Marquardt (R)5D, 2R
1978
197949D, 49R[33] 6D, 1R
1980Reagan/
Bush (R)
1981John Spellman (R)Ralph Munro (R)Ken Eikenberry (R)Brian Boyle (R)25R, 24D56R, 42DSlade Gorton (R)5D, 2R
198255R, 43D
198326D, 23R54D, 44RDaniel J. Evans (R)5D, 3R
198453D, 45R
1985Booth Gardner (D)27D, 22R
1986
198725D, 24R61D, 37RBrock Adams (D)
198825R, 24DDukakis/
Bentsen (D)
1989Joel Pritchard (R)Dan Grimm (D)Judy Billings (NP/D)63D, 35RSlade Gorton (R)
1990
199158D, 40R
1992Clinton/
Gore (D)
1993Mike Lowry (D)Christine Gregoire (D)Brian Sonntag (D)Jennifer Belcher (D)Deborah Senn (D)28D, 21R65D, 33RPatty Murray (D)8D, 1R
1994
199525D, 24R61R, 37D7R, 2D
199662R, 36D
1997Gary Locke (D)Brad Owen (D)Mike Murphy (D)Terry Bergeson (NP/D)26R, 23D56R, 42D6R, 3D
199857R, 41D
199927D, 23R49D, 49R[34] 5D, 4R
2000Gore/
Lieberman (D)
2001Sam Reed (R)Doug Sutherland (R)Mike Kreidler (D)25D, 24RMaria Cantwell (D)6D, 3R
200250D, 48R
200325R, 24D52D, 46R
2004Kerry/
Edwards (D)
2005Christine Gregoire (D)Rob McKenna (R)26D, 23R55D, 43R
2006
200732D, 17R62D, 36R
200863D, 35RObama/
Biden (D)
2009Jim McIntire (D)Peter J. Goldmark (D)Randy Dorn (NP/D)31D, 18R62D, 36R
201061D, 37R
201127D, 22R56D, 42R5D, 4R
2012
2013Jay Inslee (D)Kim Wyman (R)Bob Ferguson (D)Troy Kelley (D)26D, 23R[35] 55D, 43R6D, 4R
201425D, 24R
201525R, 24D51D, 47R
201650D, 48RClinton/
Kaine (D)
2017Cyrus Habib (D)Duane Davidson (R)Pat McCarthy (D)Hilary Franz (D)Chris Reykdal (NP/D)
201825D, 24R
201928D, 21R57D, 41R7D, 3R
2020Biden/
Harris (D)
2021Denny Heck (D)Mike Pellicciotti (D)
2022Steve Hobbs (D)
202329D, 20R58D, 40R8D, 2R
2024
YearGovernorLt. GovernorSec. of StateAttorney
General		TreasurerAuditorComm. of
Pub. Lands		Comm. of Ins.Supt. of
Pub. Inst.		State SenateState HouseU.S. Senator (Class I)U.S. Senator (Class III)U.S.
House		Electoral
votes
Executive officesState LegislatureUnited States Congress

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What 2014 elections say about 2016 governor's race. September 29, 2014. SeattlePI. October 5, 2014.
  2. News: McKenna win would end drought for GOP in races for governor. Brunner. Jim. August 11, 2012. The Seattle Times. 28 March 2018.
  3. News: State Supreme Court: activist justices, or just different?. 2015-09-12. The Seattle Times. 2018-11-29. en-US.
  4. News: Political outlook of state supreme court justices - Ballotpedia. Ballotpedia. 2018-11-29. en-US.
  5. Book: Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 1917. Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction. en.
  6. News: Washington Territorial and State Governors - Washington State Library - WA Secretary of State. 2018-11-27.
  7. Web site: Figureheads of State. Ficken. Robert. 2005. Washington State Historical Society.
  8. Web site: Daniel Richardson Bigelow. Washington Secretary of State. 2020-02-06.
  9. Web site: Henry R. Crosbie. Washington Secretary of State.
  10. Web site: Message from Acting Governor L. Jay S. Turney to the Ninth Annual Session of the Legislative Assembly, Washington Territory, December 19, 1861 · Civil War Pathways. pathways.omeka.net. en-US. 2018-11-27.
  11. News: Library Jewel #3: Letters, photos of 1860s secretary of WA Territory. 2015-04-28. From Our Corner. 2018-11-27. en-US.
  12. Book: Barton, C.M.. Legislative Manual of Washington, 1891-1892. 262.
  13. Web site: Elections Search Results: President/Vice President. Washington Secretary of State.
  14. Web site: Elections Search Results: Governor. Washington Secretary of State.
  15. Web site: Elections Search Results: Lieutenant Governor. Washington Secretary of State.
  16. News: Washington's Secretaries of State - Past and Present - Office - WA Secretary of State. 2018-11-27.
  17. Web site: Elections Search Results: Attorney General. Washington Secretary of State.
  18. Web site: Our History; Washington State Treasurers Past and Present. Washington State Treasurer. en-US. 2020-02-06.
  19. Web site: Elections Search Results: State Treasurer. Washington Secretary of State.
  20. Web site: Elections Search Results: State Auditor. Washington Secretary of State.
  21. Taylor, Briahna. The Citizen's Advocate: History of the Washington State Auditor's Office Washington State Auditor's Office. Olympia: Washington State Department of Printing, 2007.
  22. Web site: Elections Search Results: Commissioner of Public Lands. Washington Secretary of State.
  23. Book: Washington State Yearbook: The Evergreen State Government Directory. Washington Roll Call. 2017. Olympia, WA.
  24. Web site: Elections Search Results: Insurance Commissioner. Washington Secretary of State.
  25. Web site: Elections Search Results: Superintendent of Public Instruction. Washington Secretary of State.
  26. Web site: Elections Search Results: U.S. Senator. Washington Secretary of State.
  27. Web site: Elections Search Results: U.S. Senator. Washington Secretary of State.
  28. Died in office.
  29. Resigned.
  30. As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term.
  31. Initially appointed by Governor to fill vacancy; later elected in his own right.
  32. As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
  33. A power-sharing agreement was negotiated, and co-Speakers from both parties were elected. All committees were co-chaired and evenly divided between the parties.
  34. A power-sharing agreement was negotiated, and co-Speakers from both parties were elected. All committees were co-chaired and evenly divided between the parties.
  35. A coalition of 2 Democrats and 23 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority.

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