OLYMPIA — Washington voters weighed in on a number of races Tuesday, including more than 60 percent voting in favor of Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden over Republican President Donald Trump.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, Democratic U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, who is retiring from Congress, was leading fellow Democratic Sen. Marko Liias with 47 percent of the vote. They are vying to succeed current Democratic Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, who started unpaid leave in September as he started training in California to be a Jesuit priest.
All 10 of the state’s U.S. House seats are on the ballot, but Heck’s 10th Congressional District seat is the only one without an incumbent seeking another two-year term. Democrats currently hold seven of the state’s congressional seats, and Republicans hold three.
In the 10th congressional district, former Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland was leading state Rep. Beth Doglio with just over 50 percent of the vote.
In addition to governor and lieutenant governor, voters were deciding seven other statewide elected offices, and the Democratic incumbents in the offices of attorney general, auditor, insurance commissioner and lands commissioner were all easily leading their Republican challengers. In the nonpartisan race for the Superintendent of Public Instruction, incumbent Chris Reykdal — who received just 40 percent of the vote in the August primary — was beating Maia Espinoza with nearly 57 percent of the vote.
In the only two statewide positions held by Republicans, incumbent Secretary of State Kim Wyman was leading Democratic state Rep. Gael Tarleton with nearly 52 percent of the vote and incumbent Treasurer Duane Davidson was losing to Democratic state Rep. Mike Pellicciotti, who had captured nearly 56 percent of the vote in early returns.
All 98 state House seats and 26 of the Senate’s 49 seats are being decided by voters as well. Accounting for a Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, Democrats hold a 28-21 majority in the Senate and a 57-41 edge in the House.
Elections officials were expecting record turnout that could surpass the previous record of 84.6 percent in 2008. Voters returned their ballots earlier than in previous years, with many of the states 39 counties posting results Tuesday night in the 70-80 percent range. The largest counties will be updating results with remaining ballots daily throughout the week. Counties with a population of less than 75,000 are required to report at least every three days.
