State Auditor
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Pat (Patrice) McCarthy (D) | 1,134,077 | 47.46% |
| Chris Leyba (R) | 982,411 | 41.11% |
| Joshua Casey (D) | 273,198 | 11.43% |
* 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. Served as a Pierce County Executive from 2009 to 2016. Served as the Pierce County Auditor from 2003 to 2008. Served as the Tacoma School Director from 1987 to 1999.
Family: Married to John McCarthy. Has four children and 11 grandchildren.
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.
Joshua Casey
- Party:
- Democratic
- City:
- Seattle, Washington
Education: Graduated from Vernon High School in Vernon, Florida, in 2006. Earned his bachelor's degree of accounting from the University of Florida in 2011. Earned his master's in information systems and operations management from the University of Florida in 2012.
Political Experience: Elected to the King County Personnel Board in 2019.
Work Experience: Worked for Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers accounting firms.
Family: Married to Kyle Wolfer.
Complete Coverage
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.