Governor of Washington

Washington Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$187,353
2024-25 FY Budget:	$70,765,000
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Washington Constitution, Article III, Section 2
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Governor of Washington Jay Inslee Democratic Party Assumed office: January 16, 2013
Elections
Next election:	November 7, 2028
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Other Washington Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education• • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner• Natural Resources Commissioner• Labor Commissioner• Public Service Commissioner

The Governor of the State of Washington is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Washington. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and has no term limit.

Washington has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

Washington has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also: Washington State Legislature, Washington House of Representatives, Washington State Senate

Current officeholder

The 23rd and current governor is Jay Inslee, a Democrat elected in 2012. He succeeded Christine Gregoire (D) on January 16, 2013.

Authority

The Constitution of Washington addresses the office of the governor in Article III, the Executive.

Under Article III, Section 2:

The supreme executive power of this state shall be vested in a governor...

Constitutional provisions

The constitutional duties, rights and responsibilities of the Office of the Governor of the State of Washington are primarily laid out in Article III of the Washington State Constitution. Article III has been amended two times since the constitution was approved in 1889. Two of these amendments are relevant to the governor's prerogatives:

Former Washington Governor Dixy Lee Ray's 1977 oath of office, from the Washington State Digital Archives collection of oath documents dating back to 1854.

• Washington Amendment 6, Gubernatorial Succession Measure (1910)
• Washington Gubernatorial Vetoes, SJR 140 (1974)

Qualifications

A candidate for governor must be:

• a citizen of the United States
• a qualified elector of the state of Washington
• at least 18 years old

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article III, Section 10 of the state constitution.

Whenever the sitting Governor dies, resigns, is removed or impeached, or is unable to discharge the office, the duties shall devolve upon the Lieutenant Governor. After the Lieutenant Governor, the order of succession is as follows:

• the Secretary of State
• the Treasurer
• the Auditor
• the Attorney General
• the Superintendent of Public Instruction
• the Commissioner of Public Lands

If a Governor-elect dies, resigns, declines to take the office, or is disqualified, the Lieutenant Governor-elect shall take office as the Governor. If the Governor-elect is only temporarily unable to take the oath, the Lieutenant Governor-elect serves as Acting Governor until the disability is removed. If both the Governor-elect and the Lieutenant Governor-elect are unable to take the oath, the same line of succession listed above applies.

If the Governor dies, resigns, is removed or if the Governor's disability is permanent and more than two years remain in the current term, a special election is held at the next general election, unless the next general election is less than 30 days away, in which case the special election is moved to the following general election.

Duties

John Spellman was the last Republican governor of Washington as of 2013.

The governor is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the state are faithfully executed (§ 5) and is responsible for the safety of the state, as he or she serves as commander-in-chief of the Washington Militia (§ 8).

Additionally, the governor has the power to appoint heads of departments, agencies, and institutions. The governor is also responsible for presenting the state budget.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Requiring written information from any state officer any aspect of her duties and office (§ 5)

• Addressing each session of the legislature on the state of state and making recommendations (§ 6)

• Convening extraordinary sessions of the General Assembly (§ 7)

• Granting pardons (§ 9)

• Remitting fines and forfeitures (§ 11)

• Vetoing bills, subject to a two-thirds legislative override (§ 12)

• Filling vacancies in all offices not otherwise provided for, including making recess appointments (§ 13)

Elections

Washington state government organizational chart

Washington elects governors in the presidential elections, that is, in leap years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for noon on the second Monday in January following the election.

In the event of a tie between two candidates, a joint session of the legislature shall cast ballots to choose among the two highest vote-getters.

In the event of a contested election, the legislature shall resolve the issue in the manner set out by law.

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

Washington governors do not face any term limits.

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Washington from 1992 to 2013.

2024

See also: Washington gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

General election for Governor of Washington

Bob Ferguson defeated Dave Reichert in the general election for Governor of Washington on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bob Ferguson (D)	56.4	1,460,746
		Dave Reichert (R)	43.6	1,129,854

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	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 2,590,600
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Washington

The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of Washington on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bob Ferguson (D)	44.9	884,268
✔		Dave Reichert (R)	27.5	541,533
		Semi Bird (R)	10.8	212,692
		Mark Mullet (D)	6.0	119,048
		Leon Lawson (Trump Republican Party)	1.8	35,971
		Jim Daniel (R)	1.5	29,907
		Cassondra Hanson (D)	1.2	24,512
		EL'ona Kearney (D)	1.2	24,374
		Jennifer Hoover (R)	0.8	15,692
		Andre Stackhouse (G)	0.6	11,962
		Don Rivers (D)	0.5	9,453
		Martin Wheeler (R)	0.4	7,676
		Chaytan Inman (D)	0.3	6,427
		Ricky Anthony (D)	0.3	6,226
		Jeff Curry (Independent)	0.3	6,068
		Fred Grant (D)	0.3	5,503
		Brian Bogen (No party preference)	0.2	4,530
		A.L. Brown (R)	0.2	4,232
		Michael DePaula (L)	0.2	3,957
		Rosetta Marshall-Williams (Independence Party)	0.2	2,960
		Jim Clark (No party preference)	0.1	2,355
		Edward Cale (D)	0.1	1,975
		Alex Tsimerman (Standup-America Party)	0.1	1,721
		Bill Hirt (R)	0.1	1,720
		Frank Dare (Independent)	0.1	1,115
		Alan Makayev (Nonsense Busters Party)	0.1	1,106
		William Combs (Independent)	0.1	1,042
		Brad Mjelde (No party preference)	0.1	991
		Ambra Mason (Constitution Party) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Bobbie Samons (No party preference) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,347

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,970,363
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Geoff Nelson (Constitution Party)
• Tony Tasmaly (R)
• Robert Arthur Ferguson (D)
• Kriss Schuler (R)
• Eric Nelson (No party preference)
• Robert Benjamin Ferguson (D)
• Reggie Grant (D)
• Laurel Khan (R)
• Daniel Miller (R)
• Hilary Franz (D)
• Raul Garcia (R)
• Tim Ford (R)

2020

See also: Washington gubernatorial election, 2020

General election

General election for Governor of Washington

Incumbent Jay Inslee defeated Loren Culp in the general election for Governor of Washington on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Inslee (D)	56.6	2,294,243
		Loren Culp (R)	43.1	1,749,066
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	13,145

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,056,454
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Washington

The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of Washington on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Inslee (D)	50.1	1,247,916
✔		Loren Culp (R)	17.4	433,238
		Joshua Freed (R)	8.9	222,553
		Tim Eyman (R)	6.4	159,495
		Raul Garcia (R)	5.4	135,045
		Phil Fortunato (R)	4.0	99,265
		Don Rivers (D)	1.0	25,601
		Leon Lawson (Trump Republican Party)	0.9	23,073
		Liz Hallock (G)	0.9	21,537
		Cairo D'Almeida (D)	0.6	14,657
		Anton Sakharov (Trump Republican Party)	0.6	13,935
		Nate Herzog (Pre-2016 Republican Party)	0.5	11,303
		Gene Hart (D)	0.4	10,605
		Omari Tahir-Garrett (D)	0.4	8,751
		Ryan Ryals (Unaffiliated)	0.3	6,264
		Henry Dennison (Socialist Workers Party)	0.2	5,970
		GoodSpaceGuy (Trump Republican Party)	0.2	5,646
		Richard Carpenter (R)	0.2	4,962
		Elaina Gonzalez (Independent)	0.2	4,772
		Matthew Murray (R)	0.2	4,489
		Thor Amundson (Independent)	0.1	3,638
		Bill Hirt (R)	0.1	2,854
		Martin Wheeler (R)	0.1	2,686
		Ian Gonzales (R)	0.1	2,537
		Joshua Wolf (New Liberty Party)	0.1	2,315
		Cregan Newhouse (Unaffiliated)	0.1	2,291
		Brian Weed (Unaffiliated)	0.1	2,178
		Alex Tsimerman (Standup-America Party)	0.1	1,721
		Tylor Grow (R)	0.1	1,509
		Dylan Nails (Independent)	0.1	1,470
		Craig Campbell (Unaffiliated)	0.0	1,178
		William Miller (American Patriot Party)	0.0	1,148
		Cameron Vessey (Unaffiliated)	0.0	718
		Winston Wilkes (Propertarianist Party)	0.0	702
		David Blomstrom (Fifth Republic Party)	0.0	519
		David Voltz (Cascadia Labour Party)	0.0	480
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,938

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,488,959
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Mathew Mackenzie (R)
• Phillip Bailey (D)
• Asa Palagi (Independent)
• Lisa Thomas (Unaffiliated)
• Matthew Heines (Unaffiliated)

2016

See also: Washington gubernatorial election, 2016

The general election for governor was held on November 8, 2016.

Incumbent Jay Inslee defeated Bill Bryant in the Washington governor election.

Washington Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jay Inslee Incumbent	54.24%	1,760,520
	Republican	Bill Bryant	45.49%	1,476,346
		Write-in votes	0.26%	8,416
Total Votes				3,245,282
Source: Washington Secretary of State

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of Governor of Washington, click [show] to expand the section.

2012 Christine Gregoire (D) did not run for re-election in 2012. Jay Inslee (D) narrowly defeated Republican attorney general Rob McKenna in the general election on November 6, 2012. Governor of Washington General Election, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Jay Inslee 51.4% 1,582,802      Republican Rob McKenna 48.3% 1,488,245      Other Write-in votes 0.3% 8,592 Total Votes 3,079,639 Election results via Washington Secretary of State 2008 On November 4, 2008, Christine Gregoire won re-election to the office of Governor of Washington. She defeated Dino Rossi in the general election. Governor of Washington, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Christine Gregoire Incumbent 53.2% 1,598,738      Republican Dino Rossi 46.8% 1,404,124 Total Votes 3,002,862 Election results via Washington Secretary of State. 2004 On November 2, 2004, Christine Gregoire won election to the office of Governor of Washington. She defeated Dino Rossi, Ruth Bennett in the general election. Governor of Washington, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Christine Gregoire 48.9% 1,373,361      Republican Dino Rossi 48.9% 1,373,228      Libertarian Ruth Bennett 2.3% 63,464 Total Votes 2,810,053 Election results via Washington Secretary of State. 2000 On November 7, 2000, Gary Locke won re-election to the office of Governor of Washington. He defeated John Carlson, Steve W. LePage in the general election. Governor of Washington, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Gary Locke Incumbent 58.4% 1,441,973      Republican John Carlson 39.7% 980,060      Libertarian Steve W. LePage 1.9% 47,819 Total Votes 2,469,852 Election results via Washington Secretary of State.

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Washington has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

Role in state budget

See also: Washington state budget and finances

The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in June.
2. State agency budget requests are submitted between August and September.
3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the Washington State Legislature on or before December 20.
4. The legislature adopts a budget between April and June. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
5. The biennial budget cycle begins in July.

Washington is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is required by statute to submit a balanced budget to the legislature. Likewise, the legislature must pass a balanced budget.

Governor's office budget

The budget for the Governor's Office in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 was $70,765,000.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

The governor's salary is addressed in Article III, Section 14 of the Washington Constitution. The constitution initially set the annual salary of the governor at $4,000 but provided for the amount to be raised to a maximum of $6,000 at the discretion of the Washington State Legislature. Since 1986, the governor's salary is determined by the Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials.

In 1948, the voters adopted the 20th constitutional amendment, creating Article 28, Section 1, which authorized the state legislature to establish the compensation received by all elected state officials. Several changes to the procedure, including three more constitutional amendments, followed, the most recent being the 78th amendment or House Joint Resolution 49. Approved voters in the 1986 general election, HJR 49 created the Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials, the independent salary-setting authority that took over the legislature's responsibility of setting the salaries of elected officials across the three branches of the Washington state government.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $187,353, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the governor received a salary of $187,353, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the governor’s salary was increased to $182,179, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the governor’s salary was increased to $183,072, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the governor’s salary was increased to $175,353, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the governor’s salary was increased to $173,617, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the governor’s salary was increased to $171,898, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the governor received a salary of $166,891, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the governor received a salary of $166,891, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the governor's salary remained at $166,891.

2012

In 2012, the governor was paid an estimated $166,891 according to the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

There have been 23 governors of Washington since 1889. Of the 23 officeholders, 12 were Republican, 10 were Democrats, and one was a Populist/Democrat.

List of Former Officeholders from 1889-Present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Elisha Peyre Ferry	1889 - 1893	Republican
2	John Harte McGraw	1893 - 1897	Republican
3	John Rankin Rogers	1897 - 1901	Populist, Democrat
4	Henry McBride	1901 - 1905	Republican
5	Albert E. Mead	1905 - 1909	Republican
6	Samuel G. Cosgrove	1909 - 1909	Republican
7	Marion E. Hay	1909 - 1913	Republican
8	Ernest Lister	1913 - 1919	Democratic
9	Louis Folwell Hart	1919 - 1925	Republican
10	Roland H. Hartley	1925 - 1933	Republican
11	Clarence Daniel Martin	1933 - 1941	Democratic
12	Arthur B. Langlie	1941 - 1945	Republican
13	Monrad Charles Wallgren	1945 - 1949	Democratic
14	Arthur B. Langlie	1949 – 1957	Republican
15	Albert Dean Rosellini	1957 - 1965	Democratic
16	Daniel Jackson Evans	1965 - 1977	Republican
17	Dixy Lee Ray	1977 - 1981	Democratic
18	John Dennis Spellman	1981 - 1985	Republican
19	Booth Gardner	1985 - 1993	Democratic
20	Michael Lowry	1993 - 1997	Democratic
21	Gary Locke	1997 - 2005	Democratic
22	Chris Gregoire	2005 - 2013	Democratic
23	Jay Inslee	2013 – present	Democratic

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Washington

Partisan breakdown of the Washington governorship from 1992-2013

Throughout every year from 1992-2013 there were Democratic governors in office for Washington. Washington is one of seven states that were run by a Democratic governor for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Washington, the Washington State Senate and the Washington House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Washington state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. During the course of the study, Washington had a number of Democratic trifectas. The state experienced both high and low rankings during the years with Democratic trifectas. Its highest ranking overall, finishing 8th, occurred in 1998 during a divided government.

Chart displaying the partisanship of the Washington government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

State profile

Demographic data for Washington
	Washington	U.S.
Total population:	7,160,290	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	66,456	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	77.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	3.6%	12.6%
Asian:	7.7%	5.1%
Native American:	1.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.6%	0.2%
Two or more:	5.2%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	12%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	90.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	32.9%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$61,062	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	14.4%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Washington. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Washington

Washington voted for the Democratic candidate in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Washington, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Washington had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Washington coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Washington
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• Endorsers in Washington
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Contact information

Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002

Phone: 360-902-4111
Fax: 360-753-4110

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Washington Governor