| Election Name: | 1996 Washington gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Washington |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1992 Washington gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1992 |
| Next Election: | 2000 Washington gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2000 |
| Election Date: | November 5, 1996 |
| Image1: | File:Gary Locke.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Gary Locke |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,296,492 |
| Percentage1: | 57.96% |
| Nominee2: | Ellen Craswell |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 940,538 |
| Percentage2: | 42.04% |
| Map Size: | 275px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Mike Lowry |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Gary Locke |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1996 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1996. Though eligible for a second term, incumbent governor Mike Lowry chose not to run for reelection due to allegations of sexual harassment. This gubernatorial race was especially significant in that it resulted in the first Asian American governor in the mainland United States (after George Ariyoshi of island state Hawaii), Democrat Gary Locke.
This is the most recent gubernatorial election in which Kittitas County has voted for a Democrat.
| County | Gary Locke Democratic | Ellen Craswell Republican | Margin | Total votes cast | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |||||||||||||
| Adams | 1,829 | 40.13% | 2,729 | 59.87% | -900 | -19.75% | 4,558 | ||||||||
| Asotin | 3,696 | 50.89% | 3,567 | 49.11% | 129 | 1.78% | 7,263 | ||||||||
| Benton | 25,899 | 48.34% | 27,682 | 51.66% | -1,783 | -3.33% | 53,581 | ||||||||
| Chelan | 9,928 | 42.23% | 13,584 | 57.77% | -3,656 | -15.55% | 23,512 | ||||||||
| Clallam | 14,536 | 49.31% | 14,941 | 50.69% | -405 | -1.37% | 29,477 | ||||||||
| Clark | 58,400 | 52.65% | 52,525 | 47.35% | 5,875 | 5.30% | 110,925 | ||||||||
| Columbia | 863 | 44.10% | 1,094 | 55.90% | -231 | -11.80% | 1,957 | ||||||||
| Cowlitz | 19,175 | 58.07% | 13,843 | 41.93% | 5,332 | 16.15% | 33,018 | ||||||||
| Douglas | 4,353 | 40.27% | 6,456 | 59.73% | -2,103 | -19.46% | 10,809 | ||||||||
| Ferry | 1,251 | 44.76% | 1,544 | 55.24% | -293 | -10.48% | 2,795 | ||||||||
| Franklin | 5,685 | 46.66% | 6,499 | 53.34% | -814 | -6.68% | 12,184 | ||||||||
| Garfield | 511 | 40.56% | 749 | 59.44% | -238 | -18.89% | 1,260 | ||||||||
| Grant | 8,916 | 41.04% | 12,807 | 58.96% | -3,891 | -17.91% | 21,723 | ||||||||
| Grays Harbor | 15,851 | 60.66% | 10,278 | 39.34% | 5,573 | 21.33% | 26,129 | ||||||||
| Island | 14,874 | 52.59% | 13,409 | 47.41% | 1,465 | 5.18% | 28,283 | ||||||||
| Jefferson | 8,268 | 59.18% | 5,702 | 40.82% | 2,566 | 18.37% | 13,970 | ||||||||
| King | 490,284 | 67.03% | 241,134 | 32.97% | 249,150 | 34.06% | 731,418 | ||||||||
| Kitsap | 50,121 | 54.84% | 41,275 | 45.16% | 8,846 | 9.68% | 91,396 | ||||||||
| Kittitas | 6,609 | 53.17% | 5,822 | 46.83% | 787 | 6.33% | 12,431 | ||||||||
| Klickitat | 3,337 | 49.20% | 3,445 | 50.80% | -108 | -1.59% | 6,782 | ||||||||
| Lewis | 11,377 | 42.15% | 15,613 | 57.85% | -4,236 | -15.69% | 26,990 | ||||||||
| Lincoln | 1,947 | 38.92% | 3,055 | 61.08% | -1,108 | -22.15% | 5,002 | ||||||||
| Mason | 11,421 | 55.30% | 9,231 | 44.70% | 2,190 | 10.60% | 20,652 | ||||||||
| Okanogan | 5,489 | 42.36% | 7,468 | 57.64% | -1,979 | -15.27% | 12,957 | ||||||||
| Pacific | 5,699 | 62.85% | 3,368 | 37.15% | 2,331 | 25.71% | 9,067 | ||||||||
| Pend Oreille | 2,308 | 46.94% | 2,609 | 53.06% | -301 | -6.12% | 4,917 | ||||||||
| Pierce | 131,194 | 55.43% | 105,500 | 44.57% | 25,694 | 10.86% | 236,694 | ||||||||
| San Juan | 4,567 | 63.19% | 2,660 | 36.81% | 1,907 | 26.39% | 7,227 | ||||||||
| Skagit | 21,522 | 52.81% | 19,232 | 47.19% | 2,290 | 5.62% | 40,754 | ||||||||
| Skamania | 1,915 | 52.04% | 1,765 | 47.96% | 150 | 4.08% | 3,680 | ||||||||
| Snohomish | 126,425 | 57.40% | 93,827 | 42.60% | 32,598 | 14.80% | 220,252 | ||||||||
| Spokane | 84,740 | 53.30% | 74,249 | 46.70% | 10,491 | 6.60% | 158,989 | ||||||||
| Stevens | 6,687 | 40.62% | 9,777 | 59.38% | -3,090 | -18.77% | 16,464 | ||||||||
| Thurston | 53,106 | 61.10% | 33,813 | 38.90% | 19,293 | 22.20% | 86,919 | ||||||||
| Wahkiakum | 1,013 | 56.47% | 781 | 43.53% | 232 | 12.93% | 1,794 | ||||||||
| Walla Walla | 9,710 | 50.11% | 9,669 | 49.89% | 41 | 0.21% | 19,379 | ||||||||
| Whatcom | 34,679 | 54.02% | 29,517 | 45.98% | 5,162 | 8.04% | 64,196 | ||||||||
| Whitman | 8,743 | 55.60% | 6,981 | 44.40% | 1,762 | 11.21% | 15,724 | ||||||||
| Yakima | 29,564 | 47.76% | 32,338 | 52.24% | -2,774 | -4.48% | 61,902 | ||||||||
| Totals | 1,296,492 | 57.96% | 940,538 | 42.04% | 355,954 | 15.91% | 2,237,030 | ||||||||