Secretary of State
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Wyman (R) | 2,116,141 | 53.67% |
| Gael Tarleton (D) | 1,826,710 | 46.33% |
* 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.
The Candidates
Kim Wyman
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 62
- City:
- Snohomish, Washington
Education: Graduated from Lakewood High School in 1980. Received her bachelor's degree in communicative disorders in 1985 from California State University. Received her master's degree in public administration from Troy State University in 1990.
Political experience: Elected secretary of state in 2012 and 2016; served as Thurston County auditor 2001-2013;
Work experience: Former Thurston County elections manager and assistant records manager; former U.S. Army civilian training specialist; serves on board of several nonprofit organizations.
Family: Married to John Wyman. Has two children.
Gael Tarleton
- Party:
- Democratic
- Age:
- 65
- City:
- Seattle, Washington
Education: Graduated from Manchester High School in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts in 1977. Received her bachelor's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, with a concentration in Russian Studies, in 1981. Received her master's degree in government and national security studies from Georgetown University in 1983.
Political Experience: Elected to the state House of Representatives in 2012 and currently represents the 36th district. Elected as House Majority Floor Leader in 2015. Served as a commissioner at the Port of Seattle from 2008 to 2013.
Work Experience: Worked as a senior defense intelligence analyst for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. Served as the director of Eurasian Policy Studies at the National Bureau of Asian Research in Seattle. Served as the director of corporate and foundation relations for the University of Washington's College of Arts and Sciences. Worked for 12 years at a U.S. Fortune 300 technology company leading subsidiaries in Russia and Ukraine.
Family: Married to Bob Tarleton. No children.
Related Media
Complete Coverage
‘I refuse to live in fear’: Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman reflects on threats and rebuilding trust in elections
On the morning of Jan. 6, Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman was texting with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
‘It’s undermining our system of government’: Kim Wyman responds to Trump pressuring Georgia official to change votes
In mid-December, Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman texted her counterpart in Georgia to offer support and encouragement.
Spin Control: Some awards to mark 2020’s political highs and lows
Before slamming shut the book on 2020 – a year the numerical equivalent of perfect vision but which often made us wish we could close our eyes and keep them shut – Spin Control wants to keep with tradition and award some of the political and government highlights and lowpoints of 2020.
As he lobs baseless fraud claims, losing GOP governor candidate Loren Culp’s own campaign spending draws scrutiny
More than a month since losing to Gov. Jay Inslee, Republican Loren Culp has continued to raise money with unsubstantiated claims of vote fraud.
Washington electors cast their 12 votes for Biden and Harris
Although the outcome was expected, Monday’s meeting of the Washington Electoral College was not routine.
Record numbers of ballots cast in Washington but failed candidate questions results
Washington certified its 2020 election Tuesday with some 750,000 more ballots cast and counted than ever before, and a turnout just a shade under the record set in 2008.
Trump team not challenging Washington votes; some Culp supporters echo complaints
Representatives of President Donald Trump are pursuing thus-far unproven claims of fraud and illegal voting in Michigan, Pennsylvania and several other states, but have not taken issue with the presidential results in in Washington.
Culp won’t concede governor’s race, saying it would ‘disenfranchise’ voters
Republican gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp repeated today that he won’t concede he has lost the race, saying to do so would “disenfranchise” voters whose ballots are still being counted.
Northwest lawmakers, Washington secretary of state react to Trump’s cheating claims as Biden closes in on victory
WASHINGTON – Northwest elected officials urged calm and stressed the sanctity of the U.S. voting process Friday as Democratic candidate Joe Biden, leading his opponent by more than 4 million total votes amid historic turnout, appeared on the brink of winning the 270 electoral votes needed to reach the White House while incumbent President Donald Trump continued making evidence-free claims about cheating by Democrats.
Kim Wyman wins re-election as Washington secretary of state
Wyman defeated state Rep. Gael Tarleton in Tuesday’s election with about a six-point lead as of Friday. Tarleton, who will retire in her role as state representative this year, officially conceded Friday.
Wyman has small lead for Secretary of State; Davidson losing treasurer’s race to Pellicciotti
As of Tuesday night, Democrat Mike Pellicciotti is leading in the treasurer’s race while Democrat Gael Tarleton is within three percentage points of Republican Kim Wyman in the secretary of state’s race, although it was too close to call as of Tuesday.
Despite more threats, Washington voting system not breached, elections officials say
OLYMPIA – Although attempts to disrupt the U.S. elections have increased, Washington’s voting system is safer than it was in 2016 and has withstood any attacks, state and local elections officials said Monday.
Secretary of State debate: Wyman vs. Tarleton
Incumbent Republican Kim Wyman debates Democrat Gael Tarleton in a forum hosted by the Thurston County chapter of the League of Women Voters of Washington.
Truth-test: Secretary of State candidates attack each other’s partisan ties
In the race for secretary of state, each candidate has questioned the other’s partisan ties, claiming the chief elections officer should be nonpartisan when it comes to elections. But both candidates’ partisan ties have defined their campaigns.
Ballots in Spokane and many other counties in Washington will be mailed one week early
Counties across the state will mail their ballots Oct. 8 and 9 early — one week earlier than the required 18-day voting period — amid national concerns changes at the U.S. Postal Service would cause delays in election mail.
In race for secretary of state, candidates disagree over how to instill confidence in voters amid USPS, vote-by-mail concerns
Incumbent Secretary of State Kim Wyman said county election officials have been well prepared to handle the extra demands of a pandemic, while her Democratic challenger state Rep. Gael Tarleton said the Republican needs to do more to defend Washington’s system of voting by mail.
Washington election officials issue emergency rule change to ensure mail-in ballots are received on time
The Washington Secretary of State’s office issued an emergency rule Wednesday requiring county election officials to use first-class postage to mail ballots to voters within 15 days of November’s election, seeking to ensure ballots are delivered on time amid concerns over delays at the Postal Service.
Washington Democrats support probe of postal service
As Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the U.S. House of Representatives back into session this week to investigate the Postal Service, Washington Democrats in both chambers criticized plans to reorganize the mail system and the state’s attorney general was considering legal action.
Two Democrats to face off for Washington lieutenant governor in November
A Democrat is almost guaranteed to be Washington’s next lieutenant governor.
Secretary of state candidates debate in League of Women Voters forum
OLYMPIA – The four candidates vying for Washington’s secretary of state position debated election reform, including how to improve voter access and how to keep Washington’s vote-by-mail system, in a League of Women Voters forum on Thursday.