It might be hard to believe, but 2023 is already half over. With 2024 fast approaching, In Washington State, next year will be much more than a presidential election year. In addition to congressional and state legislative offices, many of which are contested every two years, Evergreen State voters will have the responsibility of deciding who sits in the state’s nine-member executive department, which consists of the following positions, all elected statewide for four-year terms:
Let’s take a look at who’s currently running for each of these positions.
Twenty-two people have filed paperwork to run for Governor of Washington State in 2024. Incumbent Governor Jay Inslee is one of them, but he’s not actually running; he announced in May that he was ready to pass the torch to a successor when his current term ends in January 2025. Of the contenders for the seat Inslee is vacating, there are five candidates who have raised serious money or have previously raised serious money in a state or federal level campaign:
NPI asked likely voters about this field of gubernatorial candidates last month, minus Reichert and with physician Raul Garcia in the mix (Garcia is now running against Maria Cantwell). We found that 25% preferred Ferguson, 17% preferred Garcia, 10% preferred Bird, 9% preferred Franz, and 7% preferred Mullet.
Read our poll finding here. At this point, the field looks pretty well formed, and it seems unlikely we’ll see other credible candidates get in.
More on the candidates:
The role: The Lieutenant Governor serves as the President of the Washington State Senate, fills in for the Governor when they are away, and serves as a vital link between state government and the foreign ministries of other countries, many of which have consulates in Washington State or on the West Coast.
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, who prevailed over fellow Democrat Marko Liias in 2020, recently announced that he has decided to seek a new term.
“As much time as I have spent in the private sector, public service is just in my blood. I love the opportunity to serve my state and to make a difference. It is a real privilege,” said Heck in a statement announcing his candidacy on May 24th.
Especially given the other openings in the executive department, Heck will probably not face much competition in his bid for a second term.
Independent Fredrick E Powell has also filed for the position and has yet to report raising any money or making any expenditures.
The role: The Attorney General is the state’s chief legal officer and heads up what has been called “the largest law firm in the state.” The office has a long list of responsibilities; they include bringing actions in the name of the people of Washington and defending the state when it is sued.
Incumbent Bob Ferguson is running for governor, so the contest for AG in 2024 is wide open. Democratic State Senator Manka Dhingra, a Northwest Progressive Foundation boardmember, has declared her candidacy. The former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, Nick Brown, is said to be thinking about jumping into the race as a Democrat, but hasn’t commented on his plans publicly. Brown rejoined Pacifica Law Group last month after leaving the Department of Justice.
No candidates have emerged yet on the Republican side.
“Washington has never had an Attorney General of Washington with deep experience in criminal prosecution,” said Dhingra in a statement.
“I began my legal career in the State Attorney General’s Office assisting with Sexually Violent Predator cases, and went on to a two decade career as a King County Deputy Prosecutor. I’ve put domestic abusers and child predators behind bars, prosecuted gun crimes, and confronted the blind spots in our justice system to improve accountability and reduce crime… I brought this experience to the State Senate to find bipartisan common ground to improve behavioral health interventions, protect seniors and kids from online predators, and protect survivors of gender based violence.”
The role: The Secretary of State is the custodian of the state’s records and chief elections officer. In addition to elections, the office’s portfolio of responsibilities includes the state library, archives, apostilles program, and oversight of corporations and charities based within Washington State.
Incumbent Steve Hobbs was retained by the voters in a special election last year after being appointed to fill the vacancy left by Kim Wyman when she resigned to join the Biden administration. Hobbs defeated Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson to keep the job. He’s running again in 2024 for a full term.
Hobbs does not yet have any opponents.
“We ran a campaign that focused on priorities relevant to all Washingtonians: enhancing our cybersecurity, fighting dangerous election misinformation, and enfranchising underserved eligible voters. I’m proud of our issues-focused and positive campaign,” Hobbs said after last year’s victory.
“Thanks to your support, I’ll remain hard at work keeping our elections secure and accessible, preserving our state’s rich heritage, fostering civic engagement, preserving and sharing Washington’s stories, and providing essential business and charitable information to the public.”
The role: The Treasurer manages the state’s money. This includes the state’s cash flow — which the office says was more than $350 billion in Fiscal Year 2021 — and the state’s debt, which it also issues. The Treasurer additionally chairs the State Finance Committee and the Public Deposit Protection Commission.
Incumbent Mike Pellicciotti was the only Democratic challenger to defeat a statewide Republican officeholder in 2020. Since ousting Duane Davidson, Pellicciotti has actively worked with legislators on innovative ways to improve Washington’s financial position and help the state’s residents invest in the future. He’s running for another term and is unlikely to face much opposition.
Pellicciotti is also unopposed at this juncture.
“We are doing big things in the office,” Pellicciotti said in an April 29th email update. That message noted he is currently working on agency request legislation to create “baby bonds,” also known as the Washington Future Fund.
“This year it is becoming the national model to ensure that all children being born today have the capital needed to achieve their dreams,” he said.
“With your support, we are showing how we can take on the big issues facing our state today. We’re just getting started!”
The role: The Auditor is the watchdog of Washington State government. The agency works to ensure the people’s money is being effectively invested in the essential public services that keep Washington’s communities and businesses strong, conducting both fiscal audits and performance audits.
Incumbent Pat McCarthy has filed for reelection, but has not raised much money, which will undoubtedly fuel speculation that she plans to retire.
McCarthy, a Democrat, was elected in 2016 and succeeded the scandal-plagued Troy Kelley, who was convicted shortly after leaving office of multiple counts of possession of stolen property, making false declarations in a court proceeding, and tax fraud. Kelley served a one year prison sentence beginning in late 2021.
Fortunately for Washington, McCarthy’s tenure has been relatively smooth, without the negative publicity the office had to endure during the Kelley years. McCarthy was formerly the executive of Pierce County and its auditor before that.
McCarthy does not yet have any opponents.
The role: The Commissioner of Public Lands is responsible for the stewardship of the forests, aquatic lands, and other natural resources owned by the people of Washington. The Commissioner heads the Department of Natural Resources, which manages parks and timber harvests, fights wildfires, and conducts geologic hazards research, to name a few of its key functions.
Incumbent Commissioner Hilary Franz has decided to run for governor in 2024, leaving an open seat. A large number of candidates have stepped forward to run or are exploring the idea, including five Democrats and one Republican. They are:
None of them have yet reported raising any significant amounts of money.
Scully has yet to file a C1. The others have, but not all have published announcements saying they’re running for the office.
Van De Wege and Das have put up websites.
The role: The Insurance Commissioner enforces state regulations on the insurance industry and sets rules to govern their business practices. They’re the industry referee. “We make sure insurance companies follow the rules and people get the coverage they’ve paid for,” the office says. As part of this work, they investigate thousands of complaints lodged against insurance companies every year. This is the only statewide office that is not provided for in the Washington State Constitution; it was created by statute first enacted in 1947.
Incumbent Mike Kreidler is retiring after more than two decades in the job. His last few years have been rocky, with allegations of improper behavior leveled against him. Legislative leaders and other members of the executive department called on him to resign, but he refused. However, he’s not running again, so the office is set to begin a new era under different leadership in a year and a half.
Washington State Senator Patty Kuderer (D‑48th District), who represents NPI’s hometown of Redmond along with fellow statewide hopeful Manka Dhingra, is presently the only declared candidate for the office. She already has lots of endorsements for her campaign and may not face much competition.
“The issue of insurance is deeply personal for Patty Kuderer,” her website explains. “When her daughter was born and critically ill at 1lb 13 oz in the NICU, her insurance company tried to deny her daughter’s care by claiming the treatment her doctor was attempting to implement was experimental.”
“After raising hell, the insurance company finally paid for the life saving care. Then when her daughter was five months old, the insurance company tried to say she had already reached her lifetime cap. Patty was thankfully able to advocate for her daughter’s care, but the experience left a lasting impact on Patty’s life and has shaped much of the work she has done as a legislator.”
The role: The Superintendent is the administrator of Washington’s K‑12 public school system. “Working with the state’s 295 public school districts and 6 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education,” the agency says. The position is the only one within the executive department that has a nonpartisan designation, meaning voters don’t see any party labels next to the candidates’ names on the ballot.
Incumbent Chris Reykdal, first elected in 2016, is running for a third term.
“As I have reflected on the last six years, I am struck by how much progress we have made, despite facing a global pandemic and a ridiculous culture war targeting public education,” Reykdal said in a June 12th announcement.
“Our enrollments are growing, assessment scores are rising, and our graduation rate remains near a record high. I put a very aggressive budget request in front of the Legislature this year, and they expanded supports for students with disabilities, free school meals for 90,000 additional students, and $400 million more in direct student supports and mental health over the next two years.”
“Unlike Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and elsewhere, in Washington State, we protect the civil rights of our students, we don’t ban books, and we don’t vilify teachers to usher in religious private school vouchers,” Reykdal observed.
“In fact, we just secured $1.3 billion in additional funding to ensure all of our educators retain competitive salaries and benefits. From classrooms to playgrounds, from cafeterias to school buses, every staff member plays a role in the health, safety, and learning of our students, and they deserve every ounce of respect that comes with compensation dignity. It might feel that the nation is coming apart, but in Washington State, we just stay focused on student success.”
Reykdal’s only declared opponent so far, former state Representative Brad Klippert, is an ultra MAGA Republican who favors school privatization and would bring DeSantis-style attacks on public schools to Washington if he were elected.
Klippert left the Legislature to challenge Dan Newhouse for Congress last year, charging he was insufficiently loyal to Donald Trump and the ultra MAGA agenda. But he failed to get through the Top Two election. After that, he ran for Secretary of State as a write-in candidate. He didn’t come close to winning, but he did play a pivotal role in thwarting Julie Anderson’s hopes of unseating Steve Hobbs.
That’s who’s running so far for statewide office in Washington in 2024.
We may repeat this feature here on The Cascadia Advocate on a seasonal basis since the fields of candidates are bound to change.
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