In battle for control of the state Senate, these 5 races have raised the most cash
Several of the Washington state Senate seats this year have been watched closely by both Republicans and Democrats, and some of those campaigns have come with a hefty price tag for both parties.
R.J. Elliott, director for the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, told McClatchy that the committee is proud of what they’ve accomplished through fundraising efforts in this election cycle. She also said the committee has been able to “provide significantly more generous support to our candidates this year compared to last year.”
“Even though money doesn’t necessarily win campaigns, it certainly keeps them competitive — and we’ve been able to keep many of our candidates competitive, thanks to the generosity of a growing community of supporters,” Elliott said.
So what happens when a candidate still has excess funds after paying staff and bills?
Bayley Burgess, communications director for the Washington Senate Democratic Campaign, told McClatchy that if a campaign in a swing district wins, the money is then moved to a surplus account to use in the next cycle. For candidates in districts considered “safe,” money is typically donated from the campaign to their respective caucus such as the Washington State Democratic Caucus.
If a campaign loses, Burgess said that money will either be returned or will be donated to the caucus.
“The goal is to not have extra money in swing districts.” Burgess said. “So the campaign team will try to thread the needle of accurately projecting how much money they will raise and spending that exact amount.”
Donations that continue to come in even after ballots are delivered are used for paid communication such as mailers and digital ads, she said.
Here are the top five most expensive state Senate races in the Washington legislature, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
26th Legislative District
- Sen. Emily Randall (incumbent): $967,177
- Rep. Jesse Young: $788,237
- Total: $1,755,414
The Senate race in the 26th Legislative District has been one of the most closely watched races by Senate Democrats and Republicans.
Incumbent Democrat Sen. Emily Randall, who has held the seat since 2018, faces a competitive challenger in Republican Rep. Jesse Young, who has been representing the district in the House since 2014. The 26th district stretches from Bremerton and Port Orchard to Gig Harbor and the entire Key Peninsula.
In the primary election, Randall had 51.52% of the vote, while Young gathered 44.36% of the votes. Another Republican challenger ended up with only 4% of total votes.
42nd Legislative District
- Sen. Simon Sefzik (incumbent): $795,889
- Rep. Sharon Shewmake: $681,507
- Total: $1,477,396
Another race closely watched — the 42nd Legislative District which borders Canada and covers Ferndale, Lynden and parts of Bellingham — has the second most donations this midterm cycle.
Incumbent Republican Sen. Simon Sefzik became the youngest person in the Senate earlier this year when he was appointed to the seat held by the late Doug Ericksen, who died in December 2021. Rep. Sharon Shewmake, his Democratic challenger, has represented the district in the House since 2019.
Shewmake had 47% of the votes in the primary election, while Sefzik garnered about 33%. The other Republican challenger during the primary, Ben Elenbaas, had nearly 18% of votes in the primary.
47th Legislative District
- Bill Boyce: $523,470
- Claudia Kauffman: $405,674
- Total: $929,144
After Sen. Mona Das announced her departure from the Senate earlier this year, two newcomers competed for her position representing the 47th District, which includes parts of Kent, Auburn and Covington in King County.
Republican Bill Boyce, who serves on the Kent City Council, ran against Democrat Claudia Kauffman, who previously served one term as a state Senator in the 47th from 2007 until 2011. The district has frequently traded hands between parties and is one of the battleground areas for this cycle as Republicans stand a good chance of taking the seat. Das narrowly defeated Incumbent Republican Joe Fain in the district in the 2018 election.
In the primary, Boyce had 45.54% of the votes, while Kauffman brought in about 27.26%. Another Democrat, Satwinder Kaur, lost by a slim margin to Kauffman with 27.05%.
45th Legislative District
- Sen. Manka Dhingra: $448,763
- Ryika Hooshangi: $216,845
- Total: $665,608
While incumbent Democrat Sen. Manka Dhingra’s campaign is among the most expensive Senate races in Washington this election cycle, that fundraising is nowhere near her 2017 campaign, which brought in over $1.5 million and is listed as one of the most expensive races ever in Washington state on the PDC website.
Her opponent, Republican Ryika Hooshangi is an attorney and Sammamish Plateau Water District commissioner.
The district includes Sammamish, Totem Lake, Woodinville and Duvall.
During the primary, Dhingra had 65% of the vote while Hooshangi ended with 34%.
30th Legislative District
- Sen. Claire Wilson: $307,796
- Linda Kochmar: $229,075
- Total: $536,871
Senate Majority Whip and incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire Wilson faced off with Republican Linda Kochmar, a Federal Way City Council member. Kochmar is also a former House Representative who served the 30th district from 2013 until 2017.
The district includes the cities of Federal Way, Des Moines, Auburn, Algona, Pacific, and Milton.
Wilson had 54% of the votes in the primary, and Kochmar beat fellow Republican Mark Christie with more than 36%. Christie garnered about 9%.
This story was originally published November 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "In battle for control of the state Senate, these 5 races have raised the most cash."
