State Auditor
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Pat (Patrice) McCarthy (D) | 2,260,830 | 58.05% |
| Chris Leyba (R) | 1,633,956 | 41.95% |
* 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
Pat (Patrice) McCarthy
- Party:
- Democratic
- Age:
- 70
- City:
- Tacoma, Washington
Education: Graduated from San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, California in 1972. Earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Washington in Tacoma in 1992.
Work experience: Former chief deputy auditor for Pierce County. Former administrator and adviser for the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Program at the UW-Tacoma.
Political experience: Elected to state auditor in 2016 and 2020. Served as a Pierce County executive from 2009-16. Served as the Pierce County auditor from 2003-08. Served as the Tacoma School Director from 1987-99.
Family: Married to John McCarthy. Has four children and 11 grandchildren.
Campaign finance: Has raised more than $40,400 as of Oct. 2, 2024, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Donors include: the Washington State Council of Firefighters FAST Political Action Committee, the Washington Education Association PAC, and the Washington Affordable Housing Council.
Chris Leyba
- Party:
- Republican
- City:
- Tacoma, Washington
Education: Graduated from Foothill High School in Henderson, Nevada in 2004. Earned his bachelor's degree in molecular biology in 2007. Currently finishing his master's degree in business administration from Washington State University.
Political Experience: Precinct committee officer in Pierce County.
Work Experience: Worked as a police officer for 11 years, including five years with the Seattle Police Department and five years with the King County Sheriff's Office.
Family: Married to Stephanie Leyba.
Complete Coverage
Employment Security Department faces critical state audit, thousands struggling with overpayment notices
OLYMPIA – Washington’s embattled Employment Security Department received a critical audit for its handling of hundreds of millions of dollars of losses to hackers in the spring.
Democratic incumbents capture new terms for Washington attorney general, auditor land commissioner, insurance commissioner
In down-ballot statewide executive races, Democrat incumbents prevailed on Tuesday night.
Auditor candidates disagree on state’s handling of COVID-19
Incumbent Pat McCarthy, a Democrat, said her experience during the pandemic will help her in a second term. Republican Chris Leyba, a police officer, said McCarthy’s experience isn’t enough.
Two Democrats to face off for Washington lieutenant governor in November
A Democrat is almost guaranteed to be Washington’s next lieutenant governor.