Current:Home > InvestAP Decision Notes: What to expect in Washington state’s primaries -Insightful Finance Hub
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Washington state’s primaries
View
Date:2025-04-18 07:48:59
WASHINGTON (AP) — Five months after holding its presidential primaries, Washington state is looking further down the ticket and selecting candidates to compete for federal and state offices in November.
A handful of retirements — most notably those of third-term Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers — have injected some excitement into primaries for this left-leaning state.
The governor’s race has drawn a crowded field, with 28 candidates, including the state’s current attorney general, Bob Ferguson. That figure doesn’t include two additional Democratic candidates also named Bob Ferguson, both recruited by a conservative activist, who withdrew from the ballot shortly after filing. The short-lived gag hasn’t seemed to take the wind out of Attorney General Ferguson’s sails, as he’s raised more than $8.6 million — more than double the next-best funded candidate.
The state’s eight other executive offices are also up this year. Three of them do not include incumbents. Ferguson is leaving the attorney general’s office to seek the governorship, while Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz is running for U.S. House and Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, who faced accusations of creating a hostile workplace and calls to resign during his current term, is not running for reelection.
Kilmer represents the state’s 6th Congressional District, which includes the entire Olympia Peninsula and the city of Tacoma. It’s been represented by a Democrat since 1965. Franz, a Democrat, has raised about $1.4 million, with fellow Democrat and state Sen. Emily Randall running second in the money race with around $1 million.
Both could find themselves on the ballot in November, as Washington has a top-two primary system in which all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party and the top two finishers advance to the general election.
McMorris Rodgers’ seat, which covers the eastern third of the state and includes Spokane, has drawn almost one-dozen candidates. Many have elected experience, including Spokane County treasurer and former state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, the race’s top fundraiser, and state Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber. McMorris Rodgers hasn’t endorsed anyone in the race.
In the southwestern corner, the state’s 3rd Congressional District is likely to be a key race in November. Democratic incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez pulled off an upset in the 2022 midterms, flipping the district. She has vastly outraised her primary challengers, and with her path to November looking fairly straightforward, her seat will be a prime target for Republicans come fall.
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- Stay informed. Keep your pulse on the news with breaking news email alerts. Sign up here.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:
Primary day
The Washington state primary will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 11 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot
The Associated Press will provide coverage for 62 contested races, including all-party primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state executive offices, state Supreme Court and both state legislative chambers.
Who gets to vote
Any registered voter in Washington may participate in the primary election.
Decision notes
Besides conducting all-party primaries, Washington conducts its elections entirely by mail. All registered voters are sent an absentee ballot, and as long as the ballots are postmarked by election day, they can be counted.
Like other all-mail states, Washington tends to count its vote relatively slowly. In state races, slow vote-counting could delay a call for one or both spots on the November ballot if it’s not clear which candidates will prevail once all votes are tabulated.
For statewide races, the key counties to watch are the populous counties of King, which includes Seattle, and its northern and southern neighbors, Pierce and Snohomish.
The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
What do turnout and advance vote look like?
As of July 19, there were 4,831,157 registered voters in Washington. Washington does not register voters by party.
In the 2024 presidential primaries, turnout was 35% of just under 4.9 million registered voters.
Absentee ballots began going out on July 19. As of July 31, more than 608,000 ballots had been cast in the all-party primaries.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the 2024 Democratic presidential primary, the AP first reported results at 11:02 p.m. ET, or two minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 11:30 p.m. ET with about 71% of total votes counted.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 91 days until the November general election.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
veryGood! (91)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Jury clears 3 men in the last trial tied to the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
- Family of grad student killed by police cruiser speaks out after outrage grows
- Two Vegas casinos fell victim to cyberattacks, shattering the image of impenetrable casino security
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Thousands of South Korean teachers are rallying for new laws to protect them from abusive parents
- In wildfire-decimated Lahaina, residents and business owners to start getting looks at their properties
- The Taliban have detained 18 staff, including a foreigner, from an Afghanistan-based NGO, it says
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Deliberations in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial head into a second day
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- 90 Day Fiancé's Yara Zaya Breaks Down in Tears Over Her Body Insecurities
- Birmingham church bombing survivor reflects on 60th anniversary of attack
- Survivors of Libya's deadly floods describe catastrophic scenes and tragic losses
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Remains exhumed from a Tulsa cemetery as the search for 1921 Race Massacre victims has resumed
- North Korean arms for Russia probably wouldn’t make a big difference in the Ukraine war, Milley says
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend reading and listening
Recommendation
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
West Virginia University gives final approval to academic program, faculty cuts
National Hispanic Heritage Month highlights cultural diversity of Spanish-speaking Americans
Stefon Diggs says it was 'very hurtful' to hear Buffalo Bills reporter's hot mic comments
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
'Young people are freaked out': Weekend climate change protests planned around US, globe
The cost of damage from the record floods in Greece’s breadbasket is estimated to be in the billions
Greece wins new credit rating boost that stops short of restoring Greek bonds to investment grade