Heck leads race for lieutenant governor, followed by Liias
Early primary election results Tuesday night showed Democratic candidate U.S. Rep Denny Heck leading the race for lieutenant governor.
Heck had 334,117 votes (27.7 percent), according to initial results from the Secretary of State’s office.
Two candidates advance to the general election in November, regardless of party.
Heck was followed by Democratic candidate State Sen. Marko Liias, the Senate Majority Floor Leader, who had 200,195 votes (16.6 percent). Next was Republican candidate Ann Davison Sattler, a Seattle attorney with 139,341 votes (11.5 percent).
1,205,945 votes had been counted Tuesday night, and an estimated 470,596 ballots are “on hand to be processed,” for the counties who have reported that figure, according to the Secretary of State’s office website.
There were 11 candidates in the race.
Republican candidate Marty McClendon, a conservative radio show host, had 130,285 votes (10.8 percent) as of Tuesday night’s initial tally. Republican Dick Muri, a former Pierce County councilman, had 119,420 votes (9.9 percent).
Heck now represents the 10th Congressional District, which covers parts of Thurston, Pierce and Mason counties. He entered the lieutenant governor race after he announced that he was not going to seek re-election to Congress. He had a significant lead in fundraising ahead of the primary.
He said in a statement: “We are so proud and humbled by the overwhelming support we’ve seen tonight from voters across Washington state. The results show that as Washington recovers from an historic economic crisis, voters want experienced leaders with values they can trust. ... I look forward to carrying this incredible momentum into the general election and will continue to fight for all Washingtonians as the state’s next Lieutenant Governor.”
Liias said by phone Wednesday: “I think the choice in the race is really clear now. Voters have kind of a choice between the past and the future. ... I think I represent where we’re headed from here, and I’m just excited to highlight 12 years of working together here with colleagues to solve problems” in the state.
He said he wants to bring his experience with bipartisan, collaborative work to the position of lieutenant governor.
Sattler said at a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters last month “It is time that we get regular people, everyday people involved with government. We need to have our first female lieutenant governor in the history of our state. I, as an attorney, an arbitrator and mediator, I negotiate quite differently than my other colleagues would negotiate.”
Outgoing Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib announced earlier this year that instead of seeking re-election he was going to become a Jesuit priest.
The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, and would become the governor if there’s a vacancy in that office.
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 8:54 PM.
