2016 Washington State Auditor election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2016 Washington state auditor election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Washington state auditor, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the U.S. Senate and various state and local elections, including for U.S. House and governor of Washington. Washington is one of two states that holds a top-two primary, meaning that all candidates are listed on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, and the top two move on to the general election.
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November 8, 2016
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  McCarthy: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Miloscia: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic state auditor Troy Kelley retired.[1] Democratic Pierce County executive Pat McCarthy narrowly defeated Republican state senator Mark Miloscia to succeed Kelley.[2]
The top-two primary was held on August 2.
Background
Kelley was elected in 2012 against Republican James Watkins, winning 53% of the vote to succeed conservative Democrat Brian Sonntag.[3] He was indicted over federal charges of felony theft and money laundering. Several attempts to remove him from office, including a threat of impeachment by the legislature, proved unsuccessful.[4] Kelley did not file to run for a second term.[1]
Primary election
Democratic Party
Advanced to general
- Pat McCarthy, Pierce County executive (2009–2017)[5]
Eliminated in primary
- Jeff Sprung, attorney[6]
Declined
- Troy Kelley, incumbent state auditor (2013–2017)[1]
Republican Party
Advanced to general
- Mark Miloscia, state senator (2015–2019)[7]
Third-party and independent candidates
Eliminated in primary
Endorsements
Pat McCarthy (D)
Statewide officials
- Christine Gregoire, former governor of Washington (2005–2013)[9]
Local officials
- Dow Constantine, King County Executive (2009–2025)[9]
Mark Miloscia (R)
Statewide officials
- Rob McKenna, former attorney general of Washington (2005–2013)[9]
- Sam Reed, former secretary of state of Washington (2001–2013)[9]
Jeff Sprung (D)
Statewide officials
- Bob Ferguson, attorney general of Washington (2013–2025)[9]
- Brian Sonntag, former state auditor of Washington (1993–2013)[9]
Newspapers
Results
Two Democratic, one Republican and two independent candidates competed in the primary. Mark Miloscia (R) and Pat McCarthy (D) finished as the top two and advanced to the general election.
Miloscia
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
McCarthy
- 30–40%
Sprung
- 30–40%
Miloscia
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Sprung
- 30–40%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Miloscia | 481,910 | 36.71 | |
| Democratic | Pat McCarthy | 381,828 | 29.09 | |
| Democratic | Jeff Sprung | 314,290 | 23.94 | |
| Independent | Mark Wilson | 96,972 | 7.39 | |
| Independent | David Golden | 37,727 | 2.87 | |
| Total votes | 1,312,727 | 100.00 | ||
By county
| County[12] | Pat McCarthy
Democratic |
Mark Miloscia
Republican |
Jeff Sprung
Democratic |
Various candidates
Independent |
Margin | Total votes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 342 | 18.97% | 1,126 | 62.45% | 92 | 5.10% | 243 | 13.48% | 784 | 43.48% | 1,803 |
| Asotin | 1,208 | 28.87% | 1,947 | 46.53% | 442 | 10.56% | 587 | 14.03% | 739 | 17.66% | 4,184 |
| Benton | 6,935 | 22.79% | 16,000 | 52.59% | 3,065 | 10.07% | 4,425 | 14.54% | 9,065 | 29.79% | 30,425 |
| Chelan | 3,286 | 23.45% | 7,418 | 52.93% | 1,715 | 12.24% | 1,595 | 11.38% | 4,132 | 29.48% | 14,014 |
| Clallam | 5,165 | 29.17% | 7,423 | 41.93% | 3,069 | 17.33% | 2,048 | 11.57% | 2,258 | 12.75% | 17,705 |
| Clark | 19,701 | 27.75% | 30,142 | 42.46% | 12,508 | 17.62% | 8,634 | 12.16% | 10,441 | 14.71% | 70,985 |
| Columbia | 189 | 19.61% | 533 | 55.29% | 78 | 8.09% | 164 | 17.01% | 344 | 35.68% | 964 |
| Cowlitz | 5,198 | 29.61% | 7,352 | 41.88% | 2,369 | 13.49% | 2,638 | 15.03% | 2,154 | 12.27% | 17,557 |
| Douglas | 1,384 | 21.12% | 3,766 | 57.48% | 567 | 8.65% | 835 | 12.74% | 2,382 | 36.36% | 6,552 |
| Ferry | 390 | 22.41% | 874 | 50.23% | 170 | 9.77% | 306 | 17.59% | 484 | 27.82% | 1,740 |
| Franklin | 1,865 | 22.85% | 4,539 | 55.60% | 662 | 8.11% | 1,097 | 13.44% | 2,674 | 32.76% | 8,163 |
| Garfield | 124 | 21.99% | 345 | 61.17% | 28 | 4.96% | 67 | 11.88% | 221 | 39.18% | 564 |
| Grant | 2,109 | 20.00% | 6,071 | 57.58% | 803 | 7.62% | 1,560 | 14.80% | 3,962 | 37.58% | 10,543 |
| Grays Harbor | 4,119 | 33.08% | 4,613 | 37.05% | 1,763 | 14.16% | 1,957 | 15.72% | 494 | 3.97% | 12,452 |
| Island | 5,496 | 26.68% | 8,487 | 41.20% | 4,469 | 21.69% | 2,149 | 10.43% | 2,991 | 14.52% | 20,601 |
| Jefferson | 3,299 | 33.47% | 2,632 | 26.61% | 2,932 | 29.75% | 1,003 | 10.18% | -367 | -3.72% | 9,857 |
| King | 117,046 | 28.16% | 105,880 | 25.48% | 164,702 | 39.63% | 27,965 | 6.73% | -47,656 | -11.47% | 415,593 |
| Kitsap | 15,986 | 30.88% | 19,636 | 37.93% | 9,932 | 19.19% | 6,215 | 12.01% | 3,650 | 7.05% | 51,769 |
| Kittitas | 1,814 | 24.48% | 3,706 | 50.02% | 948 | 12.80% | 941 | 12.70% | 1,892 | 25.54% | 7,409 |
| Klickitat | 1,026 | 23.99% | 2,060 | 48.16% | 610 | 14.26% | 581 | 13.58% | 1,034 | 24.18% | 4,277 |
| Lewis | 2,740 | 19.38% | 7,984 | 56.46% | 1,295 | 9.16% | 2,121 | 15.00% | 5,244 | 37.09% | 14,140 |
| Lincoln | 455 | 17.54% | 1,561 | 60.18% | 154 | 5.94% | 424 | 16.35% | 1,106 | 42.64% | 2,594 |
| Mason | 4,179 | 31.78% | 5,512 | 41.92% | 1,661 | 12.63% | 1,796 | 13.66% | 1,333 | 10.14% | 13,148 |
| Okanogan | 1,813 | 22.74% | 3,845 | 48.24% | 1,214 | 15.23% | 1,099 | 13.79% | 2,032 | 25.49% | 7,971 |
| Pacific | 1,691 | 32.99% | 1,989 | 38.80% | 683 | 13.32% | 763 | 14.88% | 298 | 5.81% | 5,126 |
| Pend Oreille | 753 | 23.81% | 1,497 | 47.34% | 343 | 10.85% | 569 | 17.99% | 744 | 23.53% | 3,162 |
| Pierce | 51,948 | 36.98% | 56,297 | 40.07% | 19,848 | 14.13% | 12,395 | 8.82% | 4,349 | 3.10% | 140,488 |
| San Juan | 1,617 | 31.66% | 1,436 | 28.12% | 1,606 | 31.45% | 448 | 8.77% | -11 | -0.22% | 5,107 |
| Skagit | 6,886 | 29.22% | 9,793 | 41.55% | 4,477 | 19.00% | 2,411 | 10.23% | 2,907 | 12.34% | 23,567 |
| Skamania | 550 | 26.10% | 1,019 | 48.36% | 286 | 13.57% | 252 | 11.96% | 469 | 22.26% | 2,107 |
| Snohomish | 41,792 | 30.77% | 52,083 | 38.35% | 26,421 | 19.45% | 15,519 | 11.43% | 10,291 | 7.58% | 135,815 |
| Spokane | 26,373 | 28.59% | 38,956 | 42.23% | 12,843 | 13.92% | 14,073 | 15.26% | 12,583 | 13.64% | 92,245 |
| Stevens | 2,132 | 20.68% | 5,606 | 54.38% | 779 | 7.56% | 1,791 | 17.37% | 3,474 | 33.70% | 10,308 |
| Thurston | 17,933 | 30.78% | 19,972 | 34.27% | 14,868 | 25.52% | 5,498 | 9.44% | 2,039 | 3.50% | 58,271 |
| Wahkiakum | 286 | 28.46% | 472 | 46.97% | 120 | 11.94% | 127 | 12.64% | 186 | 18.51% | 1,005 |
| Walla Walla | 2,474 | 23.19% | 4,984 | 46.72% | 1,448 | 13.57% | 1,762 | 16.52% | 2,510 | 23.53% | 10,668 |
| Whatcom | 12,468 | 27.30% | 17,735 | 38.83% | 11,555 | 25.30% | 3,910 | 8.56% | 5,267 | 11.53% | 45,668 |
| Whitman | 1,719 | 27.07% | 2,751 | 43.32% | 950 | 14.96% | 931 | 14.66% | 1,032 | 16.25% | 6,351 |
| Yakima | 7,337 | 26.36% | 13,877 | 49.87% | 2,815 | 10.12% | 3,800 | 13.65% | 6,540 | 23.50% | 27,829 |
| Totals | 381,828 | 29.09% | 481,910 | 36.71% | 314,290 | 23.94% | 134,699 | 10.26% | 100,082 | 7.62% | 1,312,727 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Clallam (largest city: Port Angeles)
- Island (largest city: Oak Harbor)
- Skagit (largest city: Mount Vernon)
- Spokane (largest city: Spokane)
- Whatcom (largest city: Bellingham)
By congressional district
| District[13] | McCarthy | Miloscia | Sprung | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 27% | 41% | 23% | Suzan DelBene |
| 2nd | 31% | 35% | 23% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 27% | 44% | 15% | Jaime Herrera Beutler |
| 4th | 23% | 53% | 10% | Dan Newhouse |
| 5th | 27% | 44% | 13% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 34% | 36% | 18% | Derek Kilmer |
| 7th | 27% | 15% | 52% | Jim McDermott |
| 8th | 26% | 46% | 18% | Dave Reichert |
| 9th | 32% | 28% | 33% | Adam Smith |
| 10th | 34% | 37% | 19% | Denny Heck |
General election
Post-primary endorsements
Mark Milscia (R)
Newspapers
Polling
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Pat McCarthy | 1,597,011 | 52.31 | –0.64 | |
| Republican | Mark Miloscia | 1,455,771 | 47.69 | +0.64 | |
| Total votes | 3,052,782 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
| County[18] | Pat McCarthy
Democratic |
Mark Miloscia
Republican |
Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,449 | 32.42% | 3,020 | 67.58% | -1,571 | -35.15% | 4,469 |
| Asotin | 3,604 | 38.77% | 5,693 | 61.23% | -2,089 | -22.47% | 9,297 |
| Benton | 27,675 | 35.65% | 49,957 | 64.35% | -22,282 | -28.70% | 77,632 |
| Chelan | 12,285 | 39.13% | 19,109 | 60.87% | -6,824 | -21.74% | 31,394 |
| Clallam | 17,493 | 46.68% | 19,980 | 53.32% | -2,487 | -6.64% | 37,473 |
| Clark | 89,618 | 46.78% | 101,962 | 53.22% | -12,344 | -6.44% | 191,580 |
| Columbia | 616 | 29.98% | 1,439 | 70.02% | -823 | -40.05% | 2,055 |
| Cowlitz | 19,799 | 45.70% | 23,522 | 54.30% | -3,723 | -8.59% | 43,321 |
| Douglas | 4,980 | 33.65% | 9,821 | 66.35% | -4,841 | -32.71% | 14,801 |
| Ferry | 1,242 | 36.38% | 2,172 | 63.62% | -930 | -27.24% | 3,414 |
| Franklin | 9,011 | 38.95% | 14,125 | 61.05% | -5,114 | -22.10% | 23,136 |
| Garfield | 328 | 27.99% | 844 | 72.01% | -516 | -44.03% | 1,172 |
| Grant | 8,557 | 31.52% | 18,590 | 68.48% | -10,033 | -36.96% | 27,147 |
| Grays Harbor | 13,455 | 49.62% | 13,660 | 50.38% | -205 | -0.76% | 27,115 |
| Island | 19,666 | 46.89% | 21,395 | 52.11% | -1,729 | -4.21% | 41,061 |
| Jefferson | 12,420 | 63.88% | 7,023 | 36.12% | 5,397 | 27.76% | 19,443 |
| King | 591,708 | 63.66% | 337,754 | 36.34% | 253,954 | 27.32% | 929,462 |
| Kitsap | 60,572 | 50.56% | 59,223 | 49.44% | 1,349 | 1.13% | 119,795 |
| Kittitas | 7,139 | 39.98% | 10,717 | 60.02% | -3,578 | -20.04% | 17,856 |
| Klickitat | 4,354 | 42.40% | 5,914 | 57.60% | -1,560 | -15.19% | 10,268 |
| Lewis | 10,813 | 33.06% | 21,896 | 66.94% | -11,083 | -33.88% | 32,709 |
| Lincoln | 1,422 | 25.99% | 4,050 | 74.01% | -2,628 | -48.03% | 5,472 |
| Mason | 12,661 | 46.99% | 14,284 | 53.01% | -1,623 | -6.02% | 26,945 |
| Okanogan | 6,761 | 41.48% | 9,540 | 58.52% | -2,779 | -17.05% | 16,301 |
| Pacific | 4,904 | 48.79% | 5,147 | 51.21% | -243 | -2.42% | 10,051 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,295 | 35.17% | 4,230 | 64.83% | -1,935 | -29.66% | 6,525 |
| Pierce | 171,823 | 51.02% | 164,971 | 48.98% | 6,852 | 2.03% | 336,794 |
| San Juan | 6,821 | 66.81% | 3,388 | 33.19% | 3,433 | 33.63% | 10,209 |
| Skagit | 25,433 | 47.49% | 28,119 | 52.51% | -2,686 | -5.02% | 53,552 |
| Skamania | 2,343 | 44.17% | 2,962 | 55.83% | -619 | -11.67% | 5,305 |
| Snohomish | 167,967 | 50.94% | 161,752 | 49.06% | 6,215 | 1.88% | 329,719 |
| Spokane | 95,689 | 43.70% | 123,279 | 56.30% | -27,590 | -12.60% | 218,968 |
| Stevens | 6,617 | 30.28% | 15,236 | 69.72% | -8,619 | -39.44% | 21,853 |
| Thurston | 66,931 | 54.04% | 56,918 | 45.96% | 10,013 | 8.08% | 123,849 |
| Wahkiakum | 897 | 41.82% | 1,248 | 58.18% | -351 | -16.36% | 2,145 |
| Walla Walla | 9,868 | 40.84% | 14,292 | 59.16% | -4,424 | -18.31% | 24,160 |
| Whatcom | 57,669 | 54.88% | 47,409 | 45.12% | 10,260 | 9.76% | 105,078 |
| Whitman | 7,779 | 47.07% | 8,748 | 52.93% | -969 | -5.86% | 16,527 |
| Yakima | 32,347 | 43.29% | 42,382 | 56.71% | -10,035 | -13.43% | 74,729 |
| Totals | 1,597,011 | 52.31% | 1,455,771 | 47.69% | 141,240 | 4.63% | 3,052,782 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Cowlitz (largest city: Longview)
- Grays Harbor (largest city: Aberdeen)
- Pacific (largest city: Raymond)
By congressional district
McCarthy won five of ten congressional districts, with the remaining five going to Miloscia, including one that elected a Democrat.[17]
| District | McCarthy | Miloscia | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 48% | 52% | Suzan DelBene |
| 2nd | 55% | 45% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 45% | 55% | Jaime Herrera Beutler |
| 4th | 38% | 62% | Dan Newhouse |
| 5th | 42% | 58% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 53% | 47% | Derek Kilmer |
| 7th | 74% | 26% | Jim McDermott |
| Pramila Jayapal | |||
| 8th | 44% | 56% | Dave Reichert |
| 9th | 63% | 37% | Adam Smith |
| 10th | 53% | 47% | Denny Heck |