Democrats looked poised to keep their control of Washington's statewide executive offices as vote counts started to roll in Tuesday night, securing steady leads in the governor's race along with several other posts.
If Tuesday's vote counts hold, Democrats will keep the keys to the governor's mansion along with eight other powerful offices, including attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and lands commissioner.
Here's a breakdown of the latest results in the races for Washington state's executive offices:
Attorney general
Democrat Nick Brown will take over the office of attorney general.
Brown picked up 56% of the statewide votes counted so far Tuesday, while Republican Pete Serrano gathered 44%.
The attorney general is the state's top lawyer and oversees Washington's head law firm, an agency made up of 800 employees who bring a wide array of issues to court, including consumer protection, antitrust suits and civil rights violations.
Commissioner of public lands
Democrat Dave Upthegrove held a steady lead over Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler in the race for state lands commissioner, according to Tuesday night's results.
Upthegrove, a current King County council member, garnered 53% of the votes counted so far, while Herrera Beutler, a former U.S. representative, collected 47%.
The state Commissioner of Public Lands oversees Washington's massive Department of Natural Resources — an agency in charge of nearly 6 million acres of forests, beaches and other public lands. The commissioner also runs all firefighting efforts on state-managed lands.
Superintendent of public instruction
Washington voters gave Chris Reykdal his third term as state superintendent of public instruction.
Reykdal gathered 54% of Tuesday's reported statewide votes, while conservative challenger David Olson racked up 46%.
The nonpartisan office oversees public education in the state — allocating funding, setting learning standards and providing resources to educators and school staff. It pays around $160,000 annually, and the term lasts four years.
Secretary of state
Incumbent Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will hold onto his post overseeing the secretary of state's office for another four-year term.
Hobbs, a Democrat, collected 60% of Tuesday's reported votes, while Republican challenger Dale Whitaker pulled 40% of the statewide vote.
The secretary of state's office oversees the state library and archives, business records and nonprofit registration.
Insurance commissioner
Washington voters picked Democrat Patty Kuderer to be the state's next insurance commissioner.
Kuderer, a state senator, pulled in 57% of the votes counted, forging a strong lead ahead of her opponent, fellow state Senator Phil Fortunato, a Republican.
The state insurance commissioner plays a big part in deciding how much Washington residents pay for car, health and home insurance. The office of the insurance commissioner holds the keys to approve or deny proposed insurance company rate increases in the state.
Treasurer
Incumbent Mike Pellicciotti will serve another four-year term running the state treasurer's office.
Of the votes counted Tuesday, 58% went to Pellicciotti, a Democrat, while 42% went to Republican Sharon Hanek.
The Washington state treasurer manages the state's investments, checkbook and debt.
Auditor
Incumbent Pat McCarthy appeared poised to serve a third term in her post at the helm of the state auditor's office.
Vote counts showed McCarthy, a Democrat, gathered 59%, leading her Republican opponent Matt Hawkins, who collected 41% of the ballots tallied so far.
The state auditor is tasked with examining how money is spent by every public agency in the state, including school districts, county governments and the governor's office.
Lieutenant governor
Voters gave incumbent Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, a Democrat, another term in his position.
Heck collected 57% of the votes tallied Tuesday, casting a wide lead ahead of Republican challenger Dan Matthews, who gathered 43%.
The main job of Washington's lieutenant governor is to preside over the state Senate and mediate floor arguments and operations in that legislative body. The lieutenant governor doesn't cast votes on proposed laws except for the rare occasion that a vote is tied.
___
(c)2024 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)
Visit The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) at www.spokesman.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
