Washington held its general election on November 5, 2024, deciding 123 legislative seats and 9 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Democrats swept every statewide office on the ballot, sent Bob Ferguson to the governor's mansion as the state's first new governor in more than a decade, and added a seat in each legislative chamber, reaching 30-19 in the Senate and 59-39 in the House.
- Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) beat former congressman Dave Reichert (R) by about 11 points in a race the Cook Political Report had rated one of the year's four competitive governorships. Reichert was not ready to concede on election night, even after the race was called. Below him the slate held: Nick Brown (D) won the attorney general's office Ferguson vacated, Patty Kuderer (D) won the open insurance commissioner's race, Dave Upthegrove (D) won the open public-lands commissioner race over former congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) by about five points, the closest statewide result, and Lt. Gov. Denny Heck (D), Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D), Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti (D), Auditor Pat McCarthy (D), and Superintendent Chris Reykdal were all re-elected.
- Both legislative pickups were open Republican seats. Adrian Cortes (D) won Clark County's Senate District 18, the seat Sen. Ann Rivers (R) retired from, holding on as his election-night lead of 1,136 votes shrank to 172 in the certified count, and Adison Richards (D) beat former Rep. Jesse L. Young (R) for the open Kitsap-Pierce House District 26. One of the year's costliest legislative races went the other way: Sen. Ron Muzzall (R) trailed by 199 votes on election night in Senate District 10 but overtook Janet St. Clair (D) in the late count.
- Voters rejected the three initiatives bankrolled by hedge-fund manager Brian Heywood, all by double digits: Initiative 2117, which would have repealed the Climate Commitment Act's cap-and-trade program; Initiative 2109, which would have repealed the capital gains tax; and Initiative 2124, which would have made the WA Cares long-term-care program optional. The fourth measure on the ballot, Initiative 2066, barring state and local restrictions on natural-gas service, passed, and narrowly.
- Across the 123 legislative races, 2 seats changed parties, no incumbent was defeated, and 23 seats drew a single candidate.
Legislature
- House (98 seats): 58 D, 40 R before the election, 59 D, 39 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
- Senate (49 seats): 29 D, 20 R before the election, 30 D, 19 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
Statewide races
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Initiative 2066 | Prohibit state and local governments from restricting access to natural gas. This citizen-initiated measure was placed on the Washington 2024 ballot. Voters approved it with 52.0% voting yes. | Passed (52% yes) |
| Initiative 2109 | Repeal the capital gains excise tax imposed on long-term capital assets by individuals with capital gains over $250,000. This citizen-initiated measure was placed on the Washington 2024 ballot. Voters rejected it with only 36.0% voting yes. | Failed (36% yes) |
| Initiative 2117 | Prohibit carbon tax credit trading and repeal provisions of the 2021 Washington Climate Commitment Act (CCA), a state law that provided for a cap and invest program designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 95% by 2050. This citizen-initiated measure was placed on the Washington 2024 ballot. Voters rejected it with only 38.0% voting yes. | Failed (38% yes) |
| Initiative 2124 | Allow all employees and self-employed individuals to opt out of paying the tax and receiving benefits under WA Cares, the state's long-term services and supports trust health care program. This citizen-initiated measure was placed on the Washington 2024 ballot. Voters rejected it with only 45.0% voting yes. | Failed (45% yes) |