2008 Washington elections

2008 Washington Statewide Executive Offices elections

← 2004 November 4, 2008 (2008-11-04) 2012 →
All 9 Statewide Executive Offices
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 6 3 Seats won 7 2 Seat change 1 1

Elections in Washington
Federal government Presidential elections 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1889 1891 1893 1895 sp 1897 1899 1903 1905 1909 1911 1914 1916 1920 1922 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1956 1958 1962 1964 1968 1970 1974 1976 1980 1982 1983 sp 1986 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 2018 2022 2024 2028 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1889 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1909 2nd sp 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1923 5th sp 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1947 3rd sp 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 3rd sp 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1975 3rd sp 1976 1977 7th sp 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 1st sp 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State government General elections 2004 2008 2010 2012 2016 2020 2024 Gubernatorial elections 1889 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Lieutenant gubernatorial elections 2020 2024 Secretary of State elections 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2022 sp 2024 Attorney General elections 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 State Treasurer elections 2024 State Auditor elections 2024 Commissioner of Public Lands elections 2024 State Senate elections 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2013 26th sp 2014 2016 2017 45th sp 2018 2020 2022 House of Representatives elections 2006 2008 2010 21st 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Supreme Court elections 2004 2006 2008 2012
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v t e

Washington has 9 Executive seats, all elected at large. In 2008, all 9 positions were up for reelection. As of 2024^[update], this was the last set of statewide elections in Washington in which any Republicans won by double digits.

Incumbent Democratic governor Christine Gregoire ran for re-election, defeating Republican nominee Dino Rossi. In contrast to the previous election, where Gregoire narrowly defeated Rossi by only 129 votes, Gregoire won by 6.5%.

2008 Washington gubernatorial election^[1]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christine Gregoire	696,306	48.27
	Republican	Dino Rossi	668,571	46.35
	Republican	John W. Aiken, Jr.	21,564	1.49
	Democratic	Christian Joubert	16,646	1.15
	Independent	James White	10,884	0.75
	Green	Duff Badgley	9,702	0.67
	Nonpartisan	Christopher Tudor	5,600	0.39
	Reform	Will Baker	5,201	0.36
	Republican	Javier O. Lopez	4,981	0.35
	Nonpartisan	Mohammad Hasan Said	3,002	0.21
Total votes			1,442,457	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Christine Gregoire (incumbent)	1,598,738	53.24
	Republican	Dino Rossi	1,404,124	46.76
Total votes			3,002,862	100.00
	Democratic hold

2008 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee Brad Owen Marcia McCraw Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,718,033 1,107,634 Percentage 60.8% 39.2%

Owen:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% McCraw:      50–60%

Lieutenant Governor of Washington before election Brad Owen Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor of Washington Brad Owen Democratic

Brad Owen, who has held this position since 1996, ran for re-election to a fourth term. He defeated Republican nominee Marcia McCraw in a landslide, winning over 60% of the vote.

2008 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brad Owen (incumbent)	706,641	52.08
	Republican	Marcia McCraw	347,551	25.62
	Republican	Jim Wiest	193,752	14.28
	Democratic	Randel Bell	53,694	4.02
	Constitution	Arlene A. Peck	48,887	3.60
Total votes			1,335,908	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Brad Owen (incumbent)	1,718,033	60.80
	Republican	Marcia McCraw	1,107,634	39.20
Total votes			2,825,667	100.00
	Democratic hold

2008 Washington secretary of state election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee Sam Reed Jason Osgood Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,644,587 1,175,086 Percentage 58.3% 41.7%

County results Reed:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Osgood:      50–60%

Secretary of State before election Sam Reed Republican Elected Secretary of State Sam Reed Republican

Sam Reed, who held this position since 2000, was re-elected to a third and final term, defeating Democrat Jason Osgood. As of 2022, this is the last time a Republican won the Secretary of State position by over 10%.

2012 Washington Secretary of State election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sam Reed	816,171	59.40
	Democratic	Jason Osgood	446,222	32.48
	Constitution	Marilyn Montgomery	88,728	6.46
	Independent	Mark Greene	22,800	1.66
Total votes			1,330,036	100.00
General election
	Republican	Sam Reed (incumbent)	1,644,587	58.33
	Democratic	Jason Osgood	1,175,086	41.67
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,819,673	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2008 Washington State Treasurer election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee James McIntire Allan Martin Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,420,022 1,360,063 Percentage 51.1% 48.9%

McIntire:      50–60%      60–70% Martin:      50–60%      60–70%

State Treasurer before election Mike Murphy Democratic Elected State Treasurer James McIntire Democratic

Incumbent State Treasurer Mike Murphy (D) retired. Democratic State Representative James McIntire and Republican Allan Martin advanced to the general election, where McIntire narrowly won the open seat.

2008 Washington State Treasurer election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Allan Martin	613,595	45.33
	Democratic	James McIntire	533,443	39.41
	Democratic	ChangMook Sohn	206,457	15.25
Total votes			1,353,495	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Jim McIntire	1,420,022	51.08
	Republican	Allen Martin	1,360,063	48.92
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,780,085	100.00
Turnout
	Democratic hold

2008 Washington State Auditor election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee Brian Sonntag Richard "Dick" McEntee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,770,977 1,016,396 Percentage 63.5% 36.5%

Sonntag:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% McEntee:      50–60%

State Auditor before election Brian Sonntag Democratic Elected State Auditor Brian Sonntag Democratic

Incumbent State Auditor Brian Sonntag, who has held this position since 1993, ran for re-election to a fifth term. Sonntag defeated Republican Richard "Dick" McEntee with over 63% of the vote. As of 2022, this is the last election where the Democratic candidate for State Auditor received over 60% of the vote.

2008 Washington State Auditor election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brian Sonntag (incumbent)	812,352	59.48
	Republican	J. Richard (Dick) McEntee	459,327	33.63
	Constitution	Glenn Freeman	94,148	6.89
Total votes			1,267,935	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Brian Sonntag (incumbent)	1,770,977	63.54
	Republican	J. Richard (Dick) McEntee	1,016,396	36.46
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes
Turnout
	Democratic hold

2008 Washington Attorney General election

← 2004 2012 →

Nominee Rob McKenna John Ladenburg Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,689,764 1,152,174 Percentage 59.5% 40.5%

County results McKenna:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Ladenburg:      50–60%

Attorney General before election Rob McKenna Republican Elected Attorney General Rob McKenna Republican

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna ran for re-election, facing Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, a Democrat, in the general election. McKenna won re-election in a landslide, winning by almost 20 points and carrying all but 2 counties. As of 2024, this is the last time a Republican was elected Washington Attorney General.

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Rob McKenna (R)	John Ladenburg (D)	Undecided
SurveyUSA[2]	October 30 – November 2, 2008	663 (LV)	± 3.8%	59%	36%	6%
SurveyUSA[3]	October 26–27, 2008	630 (LV)	± 3.9%	57%	36%	7%
SurveyUSA[4]	October 12–13, 2008	544 (LV)	± 4.3%	54%	38%	8%
SurveyUSA[5]	September 21–22, 2008	682 (LV)	± 3.8%	53%	39%	8%
SurveyUSA[6]	September 5–7, 2008	658 (LV)	± 3.9%	55%	40%	5%
SurveyUSA[7]	August 11–12, 2008	718 (LV)	± 3.7%	51%	43%	6%
SurveyUSA[8]	July 13–15, 2008	666 (LV)	± 3.9%	49%	41%	10%
SurveyUSA[9]	June 7–9, 2008	637 (LV)	± 4.0%	49%	42%	9%

2008 Washington Attorney General election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rob McKenna (incumbent)	783,240	56.98
	Democratic	John Ladenburg	591,254	43.02
Total votes			1,374,494	100.00
General election
	Republican	Rob McKenna (incumbent)	1,689,764	59.46
	Democratic	John Ladenburg	1,152,174	40.54
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,841,938	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2008 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Candidate Peter J. Goldmark Doug Sutherland Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,416,904 1,385,903 Percentage 50.55% 49.45%

Goldmark:      50–60%      60–70% Sutherland:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Public Lands Commissioner before election Doug Sutherland Republican Elected Public Lands Commissioner Peter J. Goldmark Democratic

Incumbent Doug Sutherland (R), who had first been elected in 2000, ran for re-election against rancher Peter J. Goldmark in a highly contested race. Despite polls before the election showing Sutherland leading, on election day Goldmark narrowly defeated Sutherland.

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Doug Sutherland (R)	Peter Goldmark (D)	Undecided
SurveyUSA[10]	October 30 – November 2, 2008	663 (LV)	± 3.9%	48%	42%	10%
SurveyUSA[11]	October 26–27, 2008	630 (LV)	± 4.0%	45%	43%	12%
SurveyUSA[12]	October 12–13, 2008	544 (LV)	± 4.3%	47%	38%	15%

2008 Washington Commissioner of Public Lands election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Doug Sutherland (incumbent)	691,145	51.13
	Democratic	Peter J. Goldmark	660,714	48.87
Total votes			1,351,859	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Peter J. Goldmark	1,416,904	50.55
	Republican	Doug Sutherland (incumbent)	1,385,903	49.45
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,802,807	100.00
Turnout
	Democratic gain from Republican

2008 Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election

← 2004 2012 →

Nominee Randy Dorn Terry Bergeson Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 1,333,290 1,211,909 Percentage 52.4% 47.6%

Results by county Dorn:      50–60% Bergeson:      50–60%

Superintendent of Public Instruction before election Terry Bergeson Nonpartisan Elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn Nonpartisan

Incumbent Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson ran for re-election to a third term. She was defeated by Randy Dorn. The superintendent is the only nonpartisan statewide election.

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Terry Bergeson	Randy Dorn	Undecided
SurveyUSA[13]	October 30 – November 2, 2008	663 (LV)	± 3.9%	37%	45%	18%
SurveyUSA[14]	October 26–27, 2008	630 (LV)	± 4.0%	38%	43%	19%
SurveyUSA[15]	October 12–13, 2008	544 (LV)	± 4.3%	31%	43%	26%
SurveyUSA[16]	September 21–22, 2008	682 (LV)	± 3.8%	35%	40%	25%
SurveyUSA[17]	September 5–7, 2008	658 (LV)	± 3.9%	36%	41%	23%
SurveyUSA[18]	August 11–12, 2008	718 (LV)	± 3.7%	32%	43%	25%
SurveyUSA[19]	July 13–15, 2008	666 (LV)	± 3.9%	34%	32%	35%

2008 Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Terry Bergeson (incumbent)	477,130	39.31
	Nonpartisan	Randy Dorn	414,313	34.13
	Nonpartisan	Don Hansler	108,984	8.98
	Nonpartisan	John P. Blair	90,508	7.46
	Nonpartisan	Enid Duncan	78,983	6.51
	Nonpartisan	David Blomstrom	43,984	3.62
Total votes			1,213,902	100.00
General election
	Nonpartisan	Randy Dorn	1,333,290	52.38
	Nonpartisan	Terry Bergeson (incumbent)	1,211,909	47.62
Total votes			2,545,199	100.00
	Democratic hold

• Teresa (Terry) Bergeson (cw) (NP)
• John Patterson Blair (NP)
• David Blomstrom (cw) (NP)
• Randy Dorn (cw) (NP)
• Enid Duncan (NP)
• Donald Hansler (NP)

2012 Washington Insurance Commissioner election

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Kreidler (incumbent)	723,732	53.86
	Republican	John Adams	484,992	36.09
	Nonpartisan	Curtis Fackler	135,113	10.05
Total votes			1,343,837	100.00
General election
	Democratic	Mike Kreidler (incumbent)	1,679,696	61.38
	Republican	John Adams	1,056,693	38.62
Total votes			2,736,389	100.00
	Democratic hold

• John R. Adams (cw) (R)
• Curtis Fackler (cw) (NP)
• Mike Kreidler (cw) (D)

• Election results – Washington Secretary of State
• Candidates who have filed