State Auditor
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| James Watkins (R) | 534,552 | 46.37% |
| Troy Kelley (D) | 267,784 | 23.23% |
| Craig Pridemore (D) | 238,346 | 20.68% |
| Mark Miloscia (D) | 112,054 | 9.72% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About The Race
The auditor is the state’s official watchdog, responsible for ensuring that government agencies can account for all taxpayer dollars. This is an open race because longtime State Auditor Brian Sonntag decided against seeking re-election. The position pays $116,950 plus healthcare benefits and office holders serve four-year terms.
The Candidates
Troy Kelley
- Party:
- Democrat
- Age:
- 59
- City:
- Poulsbo, WA
- Occupation:
- lawyer; owner of a document-tracking service
First elected to the state House in 2006, Kelley served as chair of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee from 2009-2011, and vice chair of the House Business and Financial Institutions Committee, which regulates the state’s financial institutions. In 2000, he founded a multi-state document-tracking service. He previously has served as a federal prosecutor, as a staff attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and currently serves as a JAG lieutenant colonel in the Washington National Guard.
Craig Pridemore
- Party:
- Democrat
- Age:
- 63
- City:
- Vancouver, WA
- Occupation:
- finance manager
Political experience includes serving as a Clark County commissioner and as a state senator, chairing the Legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee. He ran for U.S. Congress in 2010 but dropped out of the race before the primary. He served as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, and later as an administrator to a CPA firm.
Mark Miloscia
- Party:
- Democrat
- Age:
- 65
- City:
- Federal Way, Washington
Education: Graduated from Francis Lewis High School in Flushing, New York in 1976. Earned bachelor’s degree in engineering at the Air Force Academy. Earned master’s in business administration at the University of North Dakota. Earned master’s in clinical psychology from Chapman University.
Work experience: Served in Air Force from 1976-1990; was a B-52 pilot and contract manager for Boeing’s B-1 program while in the military. Worked in management at Tacoma Goodwill for eight years in the 1990s. Served briefly as the interim executive director of Federal Way Youth and Family Services in 2000. Substitute teacher at Auburn School District. Former substitute teacher for Federal Way Public Schools and the Seattle Catholic Archdiocese.
Political experience: Elected state senator in 2014 as a Republican and served until 2019. Served as state representative as a Democrat from 1999 until 2013. Served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Accountability and Reform. Served as commissioner of the Lakehaven Utility District in late 1990s.
Family: Married to Meschell Miloscia. Has three children.
Campaign contributions: Raised $53,690, as of July 8. Top contributors include Mary Miloscia and Joseph Miloscia, of St. Louis; Larry Sundquist, home builder of Adamant Homes; George Petrie, of Goodman Real Estate; and James Mischel, CEO of Electric Mirror.
Complete Coverage
Auditor candidates launching attacks
OLYMPIA – The race for Washington state auditor has escalated into the most hostile statewide campaign of the year. With the departure of longtime auditor Brian Sonntag, the two candidates seeking to replace him have focused on whether the other is fit to serve, not on their goals for the office.
No money for state agency assessments
OLYMPIA – The state attorney general’s office will weigh in on a potential fight between the Legislature and the executive branch over the meaning of three little words: “within available funds.” The words appear twice in a 2005 statute that requires state agencies to develop “quality management systems” to help figure out ways to do their jobs better. Most agencies have never done such assessments because the deadlines were delayed and then the recession hit and budgets tightened.
Two state auditor hopefuls mix it up
The filing deadline is still a couple of weeks away, but candidates barked at each other Thursday night in their bid to become the state’s top watchdog. State Rep. Mark Miloscia, D-Federal Way, and Republican candidate James Watkins of Redmond did their best to show Spokane voters why they should replace the retiring Brian Sonntag as state auditor. Also in the race, but not attending the event, are State Rep. Troy Kelley, D-Tacoma, and State Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver.