Primary election field set for statewide races and hotly contested congressional district

Democrat Jay Inslee’s path to a third term as governor will require contending with a primary election field of nearly 40 candidates.

Republican candidates include initiative promoter Tim Eyman, former Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed, Republic Police Chief Loren Culp, and state Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn.

The candidates who place in the top two in the Aug. 4 primary move on to the Nov. 3 general election. The large number of candidates in the governor’s race — 37 in total including several marginal candidates — is credited to Inslee’s decision to waive the requirement to collect signatures of registered voters if people didn’t want to pay the filing fee.

The governor cited the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic for waiving the signature requirement.

Candidate lists for the races are not final until after the withdrawal deadline on Monday and certification on Tuesday.

Still, the governor’s race may be overshadowed in South Sound by two contests for open seats: lieutenant governor and the 10th Congressional District.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib’s decision to not seek re-election has attracted three proven Democratic vote-getters.

U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, an Olympia Democrat who announced last December he would not seek re-election to his 10th Congressional District seat, jumped into the race in April. He’s facing opposition from two Democratic state senators — Marko Liias of Lynnwood, who is Senate Majority Floor Leader, and Steve Hobbs of Lake Stevens, who is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

The Republican candidates include Ann Davison Sattler, who ran unsuccessfully last year as a Democrat for Seattle City Council, and Yelm resident Joseph Brumbles, who lost in 2018 to Heck in the 10th Congressional District race.

The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate.

The field to succeed Heck in the 10th Congressional District race features 19 candidates. The district covers nearly all of Thurston County, most of Pierce County and a portion of Mason County.

There are eight Democrats, eight Republicans, one independent, one candidate under the Congress Sucks banner, and socialist Joshua Collins has switched from running as a Democrat to the Essential Workers party.

The three candidates who have an edge in fundraising and endorsements are former state Rep. Kristine Reeves of Federal Way, former Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, and state Rep. Beth Doglio of Olympia.

A recent entry into the race is Republican Jackson Maynard, an Olympia attorney who is general counsel of the Building Industry Association of Washington.

Another new candidate is Democrat Eric LeMay, who notes on his website that his grandfather, Harold LeMay, founded and grew “what would become the 10th largest private refuse company in the United States.”

Voters also will narrow the fields for several nonjudicial statewide offices, which have terms of four years.

Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson is seeking a third term as the state’s chief legal officer. He has three Republican opponents.

• Mike Vaska is a Seattle attorney who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 2004. He is chairman of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington, a moderate GOP group.
• Matt Larkin is an attorney who lives in Woodinville and has worked as a prosecutor for Pierce and Spokane counties.
• Brett Rogers is an operations manager for the city of Seattle and is a Lake Stevens resident.

In the Secretary of State’s race, Republican Kim Wyman wants a third term. Her Democratic opponent is state Rep. Gael Tarleton, a Seattle Democrat who is chair of the House Finance Committee.

Republican Duane A. Davidson is seeking re-election as state Treasurer. His opponent is state Rep. Mike Pellicciotti, a Federal Way Democrat who is serving his second term.

Democratic state Auditor Pat McCarthy is running for a second term. Her opponents are Democrat Joshua Casey, who co-owns a certified public accounting firm in Seattle; and Republican Chris Leyba, a felony crimes detective with the King County Sheriff’s Office who lives in Pierce County.

Democrat Chris Reykdal is seeking his second term as state Superintendent of Public Instruction. It is the only state executive office elected as a nonpartisan position. Reykdal served three terms in the state House of Representatives.

Reykdal’s five opponents include Maia Espinoza, who ran unsuccessfully in 2018 as a Republican against state Rep. Christine Kilduff, D-University Place; and Dennis Wick, a former member of the Snohomish School District Board of Directors.

Democrat Hilary Franz is running for a second term as Commissioner of Public Lands. She has four Republican opponents, including Steve Sharon, who ran for the post unsuccessfully in 2012; and Sue Kuehl Pederson, a Lakewood resident who ran in 2016 for a state Senate seat in southwest Washington and lost.

Mike Kreidler is seeking a sixth term as state Insurance Commissioner. A Democrat, Kreidler is opposed by Republican Chirayu Aviniash Patel and Libertarian Anthony Welti.

There are four state Supreme Court races, which are nonpartisan.

Last December, Inslee appointed Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis to position 3. Montoya-Lewis replaced Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst, who retired. She is opposed by Federal Way Municipal Court Judge David Larson.

Position 4 is held by Justice Charles W. Johnson, who is the high court’s Associate Chief Justice. He began serving on the Supreme Court in 1991 and is the longest serving member. No one filed to run against him.

Last month, Inslee appointed Pierce County Superior Court Judge G. Helen Whitener to position 6. She replaced Justice Charles Wiggins, who retired in March. Richard Serns, a resident of Winlock in Lewis County, filed to run against Whitener.

Chief Justice Debra Stephens is up for re-election for position 7. No one filed to run against her.

This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 6:44 PM.