Secretary of State
Election Results
Candidate | Votes | Pct |
---|---|---|
Steve Hobbs (D) | 2,211,403 | 59.39% |
Dale Whitaker (R) | 1,511,940 | 40.61% |
* 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
Steve Hobbs
- Party:
- Democratic
- Age:
- 54
- City:
- Lake Stevens, Washington
Education: Graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 1988. Received a master's of public administration and a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington.
Work experience: Has served in the U.S. Army and the National Guard for 30 years.
Political experience: Appointed secretary of state in November 2021 by Gov. Jay Inslee. Elected to the office in a special election in November 2022. Served in the state Senate from 2007 to 2021.
Family: Married to Pam Hobbs. Has three children.
Campaign finance: Has raised more than $169,000 as of Oct. 1, 2024, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Notable contributors include: Boeing Co., The Tulalip Tribes of Washington, Premera Blue Cross, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302, T-Mobile USA Inc., Washington Education Association and Microsoft.
Dale Whitaker
- Party:
- Republican
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Education: Attended Washington Comprehensive High School in the United Kingdom before moving to the U.S. Earned a GED before attaining a bachelor’s degree from Ashford University.
Work experience: Currently owns and operates Mass Tax. Previous executive director of We Believe, We Vote, a Spokane-based conservative organization that surveys political candidates about their opinions on social and cultural issues such as Christianity, the Constitution, gay marriage, abortion and the First and Second Amendments.
Political experience: First run for office.
Family: Married to Sabreen Whitaker. They have two children.
Campaign finance: Has raised more than $82,000 as of Oct. 1, more than $13,000 of which came out of his personal finances, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Other notable contributors include: the Washington State Republican Party, Devin Duro of Spokane, and Marilyn and David Robertson of Bellevue.
Complete Coverage
Tuesday night results show Democrats win Washington attorney general, other state executive offices
If Tuesday’s vote counts hold, Democrats will keep the keys to the governor’s mansion along with eight other powerful offices, including attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and lands commissioner.
Washington candidates for Secretary of State clash over cybersecurity
Cybersecurity and election fraud are top of mind in this year’s race for Washington’s secretary of state.
Washington state Republican Party endorses 6 candidates as races for statewide offices heat up
The candidates who managed to clinch a party endorsement are not guaranteed a spot on the general election ballot come November. However, an endorsement earns them free publicity and fundraising help from the party in the coming months.
Spin Control: Initiative fees in Washington just caught up with 110 years of inflation
For more than a century, Washington’s key tools of citizen control over their government – the initiative and the referendum – were a real bargain. Now, maybe less so.