Now that I have managed to pour over Tuesday’s primary election results the way I used to read baseball box scores in the newspaper when I was a youngster, here are my highlights (or maybe races worth noting) for you blog readers who just can’t get enough political insider stuff. Enjoy!
Governor
No big surprise here. Incumbent Democrat Gregoire picked up 49% of the primary vote while Republican challenger Rossi received 45%.
Treasurer
The race to succeed three-term incumbent Mike Murphy will be between longtime Seattle democratic state legislator Jim McIntire and current deputy state treasurer Allan Martin. Former state chief economist Chang Mook Sohn, who resigned last February to run for the office, placed a distant third.
Lands Commissioner
In what may be a closer than expected contest, two term incumbent Republican Doug Sutherland garnered 50% of the primary vote while Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark picked up 49% of the vote.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Three term incumbent Terry Bergeson outpolled former state legislator Randy Dorn 41% to 31%. The two will square off in the November general election in this non-partisan race.
Attorney General
Incumbent Republican Rob McKenna picked up 56% of the vote while former Pierce County Executive John Ladenberg grabbed 44% as the Democratic challenger.
Other State Elected Officials
Lt. Governor Brad Owen, Secretary of State Sam Reed, State Auditor Brian Sonntag and Insurance Commissioner Mike Kriedler all outpolled their primary opponents.
State Senate
In the closely watched 10th District (Island, Skagit and Snohomish counties) race, longtime incumbent Mary Margaret Haugen picked up 52% of the primary vote. She will face Republican challenger Linda Haddon (an Oak Harbor businesswoman) who received 42% of the vote.
In the 11th District (Renton, Tukwila, Seattle) longtime incumbent Margarita Prentice had two Democratic candidates challenge her in the primary. Prentice picked up 49% of the vote while her two challengers – Juan Martinez and Scott McKay received 26% and 24%, respectively. Martinez (most recently interim co-director of the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition) gets the nod for the general election contest.
In the 28th District (Lakewood, Steilacoom), Republican incumbent Mike Carrell received 50% of the vote but has a strong challenge from Democrat Debi Srail (a teacher and community activist) who also received about 50% of the primary vote.
In the 40th District (San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom) where longtime incumbent Harriet Spanel is retiring, San Juan county councilmember Kevin Ranker (29%) defeated four other Democratic challengers and will face former Republican state representative Steve Van Luven (37%) in the general election.
In the 41st District (Bellevue, Mercer Island) race to replace retiring Democratic incumbent Brian Weinstein, Democratic house member Fred Jarrett picked up 59% of the vote and will face Republican Bob Baker (a pilot for Alaska Airlines) who received 41% of the vote in the November election.
State House
In the 5th District (Issaquah, Fall City), Republican incumbent Glenn Anderson received a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat David Spring who is an educational researcher at the University of Washington. Anderson picked up 51% of the vote while Spring earned 49% of the tally.
In the 6th district (Spokane), Republican incumbent John Ahern received a strong challenge from Democratic challenger John Driscoll (a nonprofit health care director). Both garnered 50% of the primary vote and will face off in the November election.
In the race to succeed retiring Rep. Bob Sump in the 7th District (NE Washington counties), Republicans Sue Madsen (a partner in a local architectural, design and construction management firm) and Shelley Short (a former staffer for both federal and state officials) will face off in the general election. Madsen received 27% of the vote while Short picked up 25%.
In the race to succeed retiring Rep. Shirley Hankins in the 8th District (Benton County), Democrat Carol Moser (former Richland councilmember) will face Republican Brad Klippert who works for the Benton County Sherriff’s Office. Moser, the lone Democrat secured 40% of the vote while Klippert beat three other Republican candidates earning 19% of the vote.
In 14th District (Yakima) where Republican incumbent Mary Skinner is retiring, Democrat Vickie Ybarra (a public health nurse) was the leading vote getter with 32% while Republican Norm Johnson, a Yakima City Councilman, outpolled five other GOP candidates with 21% of the vote.
In the 17th District (Clark), embattled incumbent Jim Dunn who was stripped of his committee assignments last session, came in last place with 18% of the vote in a three person primary and will not be able to run for re-election. The November contest will be between Democrat Tim Probst (CEO of the Washington Workforce Association) who received 49% of the vote, and Republican Joseph James (a local businessman) who garnered 33%.
In the 25th District (Puyallup) where Republican incumbent Joyce McDonald is stepping down, a close race between two newcomers is shaping up. Republican Bruce Dammeier, a local business owner and school board member, picked up 48% of the vote tally. He will face Democrat and local fourth generation farmer Rob Cerqui (47%) in the November general election.
In the 26th District (Gig Harbor, Port Orchard) where longtime incumbent Democrat Pat Lantz is retiring, Republican Jan Angel, a commercial banker, picked up about 53% of the vote while former Port Orchard mayor Democrat Kim Abel polled 47%.
In the 33rd District (Des Moines, SeaTac) where longtime Democratic incumbent Shay Schaul-Berke is retiring, Democrat Tina Orwall (a social worker and housing advocate) picked up 62% of the primary vote. She will face Republican Todd Gibson (an owner of an advertising agency) who received 38% of the vote total.
In the 35th District (Mason, Kitsap) where Democratic incumbent Bill Eickmeyer is retiring, Democrat Fred Finn (a local businessman) who picked up 38% of the vote, and Republican Randy Neatherlin (a local entrepreneur and community volunteer) who received 31% of the vote. The two will face each other in November.
In the 36th District (Seattle) where longtime incumbent Helen Sommers is retiring, the November contest will feature two Democratic challengers Reuven Carlyle (a wireless industry executive and citizen activist) and John Burbank (founder of the Economic Opportunity Institute). Both candidates received about 42% of the primary vote.
In the 45th District (Kirkland, Woodinville), Democratic incumbent Roger Goodman (51%) received a strong challenge from Republican Toby Nixon (49%) who previously held the House seat before stepping down in 2006 to run unsuccessfully for the state senate.
In the 46th District (Seattle) race to replace incumbent Jim McIntire, Democrats Scott White, chief of staff for the King County Council picked up 48% of the vote and Gerry Pollet, a public interest attorney and environmental advocate received 36% of the vote. The two will face off against each other in the November election.
In the 49th District (Clark County) where Democratic incumbent Bill Fromhold is retiring, Democrat Jim Jacks who is Governor Gregoire’s SW Washington representative picked up 58% of the primary vote. He will face Republican Debbie Peterson, a teacher and community activist, who outpolled another Republican challenger 27% to 15%.