OLYMPIA, Wash. —
Washington state's 2022 primary election includes races for several key positions at the federal and state levels.
The 2022 primary election is Aug. 2.
Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day or returned to a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. to be counted.
The Secretary of State's Office recommends voters who return their ballots on Election Day bring them to a ballot drop box instead of dropping them in the mail to ensure they are postmarked in time.
RELATED: List of ballot drop boxes
U.S. Senate
The most high-profile in-state race revolves around the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Patty Murray, who is pursuing her sixth term this cycle, and has drawn 17 challengers to the seat.
The only candidate in the same realm as Murray as far as funding is concerned is Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley. A veterans advocate and former nurse out of Pasco, Smiley pulled in over $4 million in contributions, while Murray still holds a significant financial advantage at $11.6 million raised. Smiley has been endorsed by the state's Republican party.
A recent poll found Washington voters favor Murray, with 51% saying they would vote for the Democrat, compared to 33% who would vote for Smiley, a Republican. However, 16% responded that they were undecided.
"Well, obviously, it's a very commanding lead. But so much can change," said Gary Locke, former governor of Washington and KING 5 political analyst. "Patty Murray, I think has a very good lead, and you got to factor in also the independents. There are still people who are undecided, who will not make up their minds until close to the election."
U.S. House
Incumbents from all 10 of Washington's Congressional Districts face at least one challenger.
National eyes will be on the 8th Congressional District, where incumbent Kim Schrier faces strong opposition from several Republican candidates in what many consider a swing race. Schrier raised over $5 million but has a trio of Republicans who have garnered more than $500,000 in contributions.
Jesse Jensen, who lost by fewer than three percentage points to Schrier in 2020, pulled in over just over $1 million. Jensen is a former Army Ranger and tech director out of Bonney Lake.
Matt Larkin, an attorney out of Sammamish, raised over $900,000 this cycle. After unsuccessfully running for attorney general in 2020, Larkin has made crime and homelessness a bedrock of his campaign for the 8th Congressional District.
Reagan Dunn, a King County council member who has been elected to five terms, brought in just over $800,000, although his campaign has more cash on hand than the other two top Republicans. Dunn is the son of a former U.S. Congresswoman and has past experience working in the U.S. Department of Justice.
The 8th Congressional District covers territory in the eastern sections of King and Pierce counties, as well as crossing the Cascade mountains to cover portions of Chelan and Kittitas counties. It was represented by a Republican from 1983 to 2019, when Schrier was elected for the first time.
Elsewhere in western Washington, Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler is facing opposition from within her own party for the 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses a number of counties in southern and central Washington.
Herrera Beutler has raised more than $3 million, but Joseph Kent isn't far behind with more than $1.8 million raised. Kent, who already has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is a former Green Beret based out of Yacolt.
Heidi St. John also poses a challenge to Herrera Beutler, with over $900,000 raised. An author and podcaster, St. John is a self-described conservative Christian out of Battleground.
Suzan DelBene, who represents District 1, is being challenged by Matthew Heines, Derek Chartrand, Vincent Cavaleri, and Tom Spears.
Incumbent Rick Larsen faces Cody Hart, Dan Matthews, Doug Revelle, Bill Wheeler, Jon Welch, Brandon Lee Stalnaker, Jason Call, Leif Johnson, and Carrie R. Kennedy for District 2.
In District 4, incumbent Dan Newhouse faces challengers Corey Gibson, Loren Culp, Brad Klippert, Jacek Kobiesa, Doug White, Benancio Garcia III, and Jerrod Sessler.
In District 5, incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers faces challengers Natasha Hill, Sean Clynch, and Anne Marie Danimus.
District 6 incumbent Derek Kilmer faces challengers Rebecca Parson, Tom Triggs, Chris Binns, Todd Bloom, and Elizabeth Kreiselmaier.
District 7 incumbent Pramila Jayapal faces challengers Cliff Moon, Jesse James, and Paul Glumaz.
District 9 incumbent Adam Smith faces challengers Doug Basler, David Michael Anderson, Sea Chan, Seth Pedersen, and Stephanie Gallardo.
District 10 incumbent Marilyn Strickland face challengers Richard Boyce, Keith Swank, Eric Mahaffy, and Dan Earnest.
Washington Secretary of State
Secretary of State is also up for grabs in this cycle, as Steve Hobbs hopes to maintain the seat he was appointed to after Republican Kim Wyman resigned last year to accept a position with President Biden's administration. Hobbs, a former state senator and member of the Washington National Guard, faces a variety of candidates in his quest for retaining the position.
His Republican opponents include former state Senator Mark Miloscia, current state Senator Keith Wagoner, and "America First" candidate Tamborine Borelli, who has been behind multiple voter fraud lawsuits related to the 2020 presidential election. Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson also is running nonpartisan, pushing that the office should be independent of political parties.
State Senate
Incumbent Simon Sefzik, who was appointed to fill the 42nd Legislative District by the Whatcom County Council, faces challengers Ben Elenbaas and Sharon Shewmake.
Sefzik, who was appointed after Sen. Doug Ericksen died, is believed to be the youngest senator in state history. Sefzik, a Republican, was appointed as Whatcom County dealt with weeks of disastrous flooding.
Shewmake stepped down from the state House to run for state Senate.
Meanwhile, District 31 incumbent Phil Fortunato faces challengers Clifford Knopik and Chris Vance.
Fortunato, a Republican, ran for governor in 2020 and made headlines when he slammed Gov. Jay Inslee over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.