Top races to watch in 2024 general election in Washington
Keep up with the key races and measures during Washington state's 2024 general election.
KING 5
An initial round of 2024 general election returns will be released around 8 p.m. on Aug. 6 in Washington state.
The returns are from ballots that were turned in early and tabulated. Counties will release additional results in the days after the election as more ballots are counted. Additional results are typically released daily.
KING 5 will provide live updates as returns are counted.
Governor
Democrat and current state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Republican challenger and former King County Sheriff and Congress member Dave Reichert are vying to serve as Washington's next governor.
The governor is elected to a four-year term and is the chief executive officer, making appointments for state positions, including state agency directors. The governor also has the power to sign or veto legislation and submit budget recommendations and reports to the Legislature.
State attorney general
Republican Pete Serrano and Democrat Nick Brown are in the race to replace Bob Ferguson as attorney general.
Serrano is the mayor of Pasco, and Brown is a former U.S. attorney and counsel for Gov. Jay Inslee.
The state attorney general serves for four years as legal counsel to the governor, members of the Legislature, state officials and state entities. The Office of the Attorney General is tasked with protecting the public by upholding the Consumer Protection Act.
US Senate
Incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell and Republican challenger Raul Garcia are in the U.S. Senate race.
Cantwell is seeking to serve a fifth term.
Senators serve six-year terms. The Senate has 100 members, two from each state. The Senate has several exclusive duties, including consenting to treaties, confirming federal appointments made by the president and trying federal officials impeached by the House.
Congressional districts
Who will represent Washingtonians in all 10 Congressional districts will be decided.
Public lands commissioner
Either Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler or Democrat Dave Upthegrove will replace Hilary Franz as commissioner of public lands.
Herrera Beutler is a former congressional member from District 3, and Upthegrove is King County Council chair.
The commissioner of public lands heads the Department of Natural Resources, overseeing the management of more than 5 million acres of state land. The commissioner also manages the state's on-call fire department, which works to prevent and fight wildfires on 13 million acres of private, state and tribal-owned land.
The commissioner serves a four-year term.
Seattle City Council
Tanya Woo is seeking to be elected to finish out the remainder of the term for Seattle City Council Position 8, which she was appointed to after Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the King County Council.
Woo faces challenger Alexis Mercedes Rinck, an assistant policy director at the University of Washington.
Position 8 is a citywide position.
Pierce County sheriff
Either Keith Swank or Patti Jackson will replace Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer.
Swank spent more than 30 years with the Seattle Police Department in several roles, and Jackson has been with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department for 35 years.
The sheriff is the CEO of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff is responsible for overall operation, direction and leadership.
The sheriff serves a four-year term.
Statewide initiatives
Voters will decide whether or not to approve four statewide initiatives.
On the ballot are Initiatives 2117, 2109, 2124 and 2066. All four are sponsored by conservative group Let's Go Washington.
If approved by voters, the initiatives would:
- Repeal the state's Climate Commitment Act (I-2117)
- Repeal the state capital gains tax (I-2109)
- Allow anyone to opt out of WA Cares, the long-term care program (I-2124)
- Strike a passage of HB 1589 requiring utilities to assess the costs and benefits of replacing natural gas pipelines, infrastructure projects and utility end uses with electric alternatives (I-2066)