2008 Washington elections

2008 Washington secretary of state election
	November 4, 2008
	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

2008 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election
	November 4, 2008
	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

2008 Washington Statewide Executive Offices elections
	November 4, 2008
All 9 Statewide Executive Offices

Washington has 9 Executive seats, all elected at large. In 2008, all 9 positions were up for reelection. As of 2025, this was the last set of statewide elections in Washington in which any Republicans won by double digits.

Offices and Candidates

Governor

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

Lt. Governor

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.

Blanket primary results by county

  Owen

  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%

  McCraw

  30–40%

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

Secretary of State

Sam Reed, who held this position since 2001, was re-elected to a third and final term, defeating Democrat Jason Osgood. As of 2025, this is the last time a Republican won the Secretary of State position by over 10%.

Blanket primary results by county

  Reed

  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%

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

State Treasurer

2008 Washington State Treasurer election

November 4, 2008


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% 70–80%
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.

Blanket primary results by county

  Martin

  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%

  McIntire

  40–50%

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

State Auditor

2008 Washington State Auditor election

November 4, 2008


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% 80–90%
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.

Blanket primary results by county

  Sonntag

  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%

  McEntee

  40–50%
  50–60%

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

Attorney general

2008 Washington Attorney General election


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

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

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 two counties. As of 2025, this is the last time a Republican was elected Washington Attorney General.

Polling

General election

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%

Blanket primary results by county

  McKenna

  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%

  Ladenburg

  50–60%

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

Commissioner of Public Lands

2008 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election

November 4, 2008


Candidate	Peter J. Goldmark	Doug Sutherland
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,416,904	1,385,903
Percentage	50.6%	49.4%

Goldmark: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
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.

Polling

General election

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Doug Sutherland (R)	Peter Goldmark (D)	Undecided
SurveyUSA^[2]	October 30 – November 2, 2008	663 (LV)	± 3.9%	48%	42%	10%
SurveyUSA^[3]	October 26–27, 2008	630 (LV)	± 4.0%	45%	43%	12%
SurveyUSA^[10]	October 12–13, 2008	544 (LV)	± 4.3%	47%	38%	15%

Blanket primary results by county

  Sutherland

  50–60%
  60–70%

  Goldmark

  50–60%
  60–70%

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

Superintendent of Public Instruction

2008 Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election


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

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.

Polling

General election

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Terry Bergeson	Randy Dorn	Undecided
SurveyUSA^[2]	October 30 – November 2, 2008	663 (LV)	± 3.9%	37%	45%	18%
SurveyUSA^[3]	October 26–27, 2008	630 (LV)	± 4.0%	38%	43%	19%
SurveyUSA^[11]	October 12–13, 2008	544 (LV)	± 4.3%	31%	43%	26%
SurveyUSA^[12]	September 21–22, 2008	682 (LV)	± 3.8%	35%	40%	25%
SurveyUSA^[13]	September 5–7, 2008	658 (LV)	± 3.9%	36%	41%	23%
SurveyUSA^[14]	August 11–12, 2008	718 (LV)	± 3.7%	32%	43%	25%
SurveyUSA^[15]	July 13–15, 2008	666 (LV)	± 3.9%	34%	32%	35%

Blanket primary results by county

  Bergeson

  30–40%

  40–50%

  Dorn

  30–40%

  40–50%

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)

Insurance Commissioner

2008 Washington Insurance Commissioner election

November 4, 2008


Candidate	Mike Kreidler	John Adams
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,679,696	1,056,693
Percentage	61.4%	38.6%

Kreidler: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Adams: 50–60% 60–70%

insurance commissioner before election

Mike Kreidler
Democratic

Elected insurance commissioner

Mike Kreidler
Democratic

Blanket primary results by county

  Kreidler

  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%

  Adams

  40–50%
  50–60%

2008 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)

References

^ "Governor". Retrieved August 16, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c SurveyUSA
^ ^a ^b ^c SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA
^ SurveyUSA

External links

Election results – Washington Secretary of State
Candidates who have filed

[1] "Governor". Retrieved August 16, 2024.

[:0-2] SurveyUSA

[:1-3] SurveyUSA

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