Superior Court Judge Position 11
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Fennessy | 47,720 | 37.72% |
| Andrew Van Winkle | 44,865 | 35.46% |
| Jerry Scharosch | 24,136 | 19.08% |
| F. Dayle Andersen | 9,789 | 7.74% |
* 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
Tim Fennessy
- Age:
- 67
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Residence: Spokane
Education: Graduated Libby Senior High School 1975 in Libby, Montana. Earned bachelor’s in political science from Gonzaga in 1979. Earned law degree from Gonzaga Law School in 1983.
Work experience: Worked in civil law at a number of Spokane firms since 1983, practicing on issues of medical malpractice, construction law, personal injury claims, water rights, eminent domain and insurance defense. Worked at Layman Law Firm PLLP from 2010 to 2016, was named partner in 2014. Has been Spokane County Superior Court Judge since 2016, and is currently presiding judge.
Political experience: Elected to Spokane County Superior Court in 2016 and 2020.
Family: Married to Nelou Fennessy. Has two adult children.
Campaign finance: Has raised more than $56,000, as of Oct. 1, 2024, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission. Contributions include about $2,000 of his own money and donations from Armitage & Thompson, Judges Tony Hazel, Breean Beggs and Raymond Clary and multiple members of the Haghighi family, former owners of Fery Catering and his in-laws.
Andrew Van Winkle
- Age:
- 36
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Residence: Colbert
Education: Graduated from Shadle Park High School in 2006. Graduated from Spokane Falls Community College with an associate degree in 2006. Earned a bachelor’s in political science and international studies from the University of Washington in 2008. Earned a law degree from the University of Washington in 2012.
Work Experience: Worked as intern and legislative assistant at the Washington Legislature from 2007 to 2009. Clerked for Kevin Korsmo at the Court of Appeals from 2012 to 2014. Worked as a deputy prosecutor in Chelan County from 2014 to 2019, Court of Appeals District III staff attorney from 2019 to present (currently is the senior staff attorney). Serves as a Spokane County Superior Court judge pro-tempore from 2021 to present
Political Experience: First run for office
Family: Married to Lauren Van Winkle.
Campaign contributions: Has raised more than $50,000, as of Oct. 1, 2024, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Contributions include $23,400 of his own money along with donations from attorneys Rachel Hama, Marcus Sweetser, Bill Hochberg, Appellate Court Judge George Fearing, retired appellate judge Kevin Korsmo, retired Washington State Sen. Chris Marr.
Jerry Scharosch
- Age:
- 49
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Residence: Cheney
Education: Graduated from McNary High School in Kaizer, Oregon, in 1993. Earned a bachelor’s in geography from Portland State University in 2004. Earned a law degree from Gonzaga Law School in 2007.
Work Experience: Worked as a Thurston County deputy prosecutor from 2007 to 2008. Did civil litigation at Spokane area law firms from 2008 to 2013. Served as Washington State Assistant attorney general in the social and health services unit representing Adult and Child Protective Services and the Department of Corrections among other agencies from 2013 to 2019. Served as a Spokane County deputy prosecutor from 2013 to 2019 primarily in the special assault unit. Has worked as a Spokane County Superior Court commissioner form 2023-present.
Political Experience: First run for office
Family: Married to Annika Scharosh. Has three school-age children.
Campaign finance: Has raised more than $21,900 with more than half of that money being his own along with donations from Judges Annette Plese, Rachelle Anderson and Shelly Szambelan, and Deputy Prosecutors Sharon Hedlund, Emily Sullivan and Dale Nagy.
F. Dayle Andersen
- Age:
- 60
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Residence: Spokane
Education: Graduated from North Central High School in 1982. Earned a bachelor’s in government from Eastern Washington University in 1990. Earned law degree from Gonzaga School of Law in 1993.
Work experience: Worked in criminal defense for insurance companies in Yakima until 1996. Worked briefly at the City of Spokane’s Public Defender’s Office. Did primarily civil litigation and some criminal defense at his own practice, Andersen Law Office, from 2006 to 2021. Worked in risk management at the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office’s civil division from 2021 to 2024
Political experience: First run for office
Family: Divorced. Has two adult children
Campaign finance: Hasn’t raised campaign money and has made minimal financial contributions himself.
Complete Coverage
Superior Court judges back incumbent Fennessy in general election, while challenger Van Winkle says he’s the choice for change
Judge Tim Fennessy says his experience is needed in Spokane County Superior Court while his challenger Andrew Van Winkle argues he would bring change to modernize the court and have a better demeanor on the bench.
Incumbent Fennessy to face court of appeals attorney Van Winkle in Spokane County judge race; Mungia leads in Supreme Court race
Incumbent Judge Timothy Fennessy will face court of appeals staffer Andrew Van Winkle in the November general election.
Spokane County Bar Association releases judicial candidate evaluations
Spokane County Bar Association has released its candidate rankings ahead of the Aug. 6 primary.
Spokane Superior Court judges split along gender lines on endorsing incumbent Fennessy over court commissioner Scharosch
None of the seven women serving as Spokane County Superior Court judges is backing their colleague Timothy Fennessy’s re-election campaign.
Two incumbent Superior Court judges challenged for re-election; 11 running unopposed
Every four years, the entirety of the Spokane County Superior Court bench is up for election.