State Senator
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Padden (R) | 56,161 | 62.63% |
| John Roskelley (D) | 33,506 | 37.37% |
* 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 Candidates
Mike Padden
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 78
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from Seattle Prep High School in 1964. Padden graduated graduated with a bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University in 1971 and graduated from Gonzaga Law School in 1974.
Work experience: Before Padden was elected to the Senate, he spent three years as a judicial liaison for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Throughout his time in the state Legislature and prior to winning a seat in the House, Padden worked as an attorney, practicing bankruptcy law, real estate family law and personal injury law. He also worked part time as the city attorney for Deer Park.
Political Experience: Has represented the 4th Legislative District in the Senate since he was elected in 2011. He was appointed to be a District Court Judge in 1995 and won re-election afterward, serving as a judge until 2007. Prior to serving as a judge, Padden spent 14 years representing the 4th District as a state representative, serving from 1980 to 1995.
Family: Married. Has five sons.
John Roskelley
- Party:
- Democratic
- Age:
- 75
- City:
- Mead, Washington
Work experience: Currently writing a book based on records from his father's life and has previously written a local guide to paddling the Columbia River. He has been a Washington State Growth Management Board Member, is a mountaineer and has worked as a photographer and educator on the environment and climbing. He has worked as a geology contractor for private companies and briefly worked for the United States Department of Mines as a geologist in the 1970s.
Political experience: Roskelley was first elected as a Spokane County commissioner in 1995 to serve the remainder of another commissioner's term and won a full term in 1996. He remained on the board of county commissioners until 2004, when he resigned to serve on the state's Growth Management Board. He unsuccessfully ran for the seat again in 2012. Education: Is a 1967 graduate of Shadle Park High School and graduated from Washington State University in 1971 with a degree in geology.
Family: Married and is the father of three children.
Pitch to voters: "If you want to change Olympia, you have to change who you're sending there. The more years you spend in Olympia, the more you get owned by lobbyist and outside interests. Voters need to take a look at that and change who they're sending and change the way Olympia runs."
Complete Coverage
Republicans Padden, Chase and McCaslin sail to victory in 4th District
Voters in the 4th Legislative District once again backed Republicans, but will have one new representative in Olympia.
State Sen. Mike Padden, former County Commissioner John Roskelley disagree on budget, prison reform in bid for Valley seat
Candidates for the 4th Legislative District senate seat John Roskelley and Mike Padden plan to focus on prison reform and hope to address the state’s budget shortfall, but disagree on where to cut funds and what reforms to focus on.
Washington Supreme Court: 5 county commissioner bill is constitutional
OLYMPIA – A law that expands the number of county commissioners in Spokane from three to five is constitutional, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a unanimous decision.
Padden calls for Senate probe of Airway Heights prison slaying
The Senate should investigate the decisions that led the Department of Corrections to place a convicted child molester in the cell with the relative of one of his victims, Sen. Mike Padden said Tuesday.
Bob McCaslin, Rob Chase will take on Democrats in 4th; Mike Padden tops Senate primary
The first night of results show voters in the 4th Legislative District still support Republicans who have aligned themselves with controversial state Rep. Matt Shea over moderate challengers.
Sen. Mike Padden faces Democrat John Roskelley, Independent Ann Marie Danimus in 4th district primary
The two candidates running against longtime state Senator Mike Padden say the Republican is too beholden to the party and has made questionable votes on growth management and environmental issues. Padden says his right-of-center views reflect his constituency.
4th District candidates scramble after Shea decides not to run
Spokane County’s 4th Legislative District is a reliably Republican stronghold that typically does not draw a crowd of aspiring candidates. But as with so many other things, 2020 has proved atypical.
Sen. Mike Padden: Inslee puts public at risk with illogical inmate-release plan
Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision to release hundreds of inmates is ill-advised, illogical, and puts Washingtonians needlessly at risk.
Sens. Mark Schoesler and Mike Padden: Bill to alter Washington’s redistricting process isn’t needed
As the old saying goes, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. That adage certainly applies to our state’s voter-approved redistricting process and a bill moving through the Legislature that seeks to change it.
Senate adds $1B in spending, passes budget
The Senate called for another $1 billion in spending in the state’s primary budget Thursday, approving increases for homelessness, environment and health care costs.
Spin Control: Senate debates what’s the best things to drink in a kids meal
Senate debates what kids should drink in their Happy Meal.
Senate votes again to strike death penalty statute
Although Washington’s death penalty has been placed on hold by the governor and ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, the Senate voted Friday to eliminate capital punishment from state law.
Gun control bills move forward on party-line votes
With a series of shootings in Seattle filling local news reports, Democrats moved proposed restrictions on the size of magazines and training requirements for concealed pistol licenses moved out of a key Senate committee over Republican objections Thursday.
State Senate approves comprehensive sex ed requirements for public schools
The Senate approved a bill requiring all public schools offer medically accurate, comprehensive sex education geared to children at all grade levels.
Agencies, lawmakers scramble to fill $4 billion pothole from I-976
State agencies and lawmakers are looking for solutions to the loss of billions of dollars that would have come from Initiative 976.