2016 Washington State Treasurer election
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The 2016 Washington State Treasurer election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Washington State Treasurer, 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.
Incumbent Democratic State Treasurer James McIntire announced on December 16, 2015, that he would not seek a third term.[1] Republican Benton County Treasurer Duane Davidson won the election, defeating fellow Republican Michael Waite.[2] This was the first time a Republican had been elected to the office of Treasurer of Washington since 1952.[3]
The top-two primary was held on August 2.
Democratic Party
Eliminated in primary
- John Paul Comerford, pension consultant[4]
- Alec Fisken, former Port of Seattle commissioner[4]
- Marko Liias, state senator (2014–present)[4]
Declined
- James McIntire, incumbent state treasurer (2009–2017)[1]
Republican Party
Advanced to general
- Duane Davidson, Benton County treasurer (2003–2017)[4]
- Michael Waite, investment firm executive[4]
Endorsements
Duane Davidson (R)
Newspapers
Results
Five candidates ran in the primary: state senator Marko Liias, former Port of Seattle commissioner Alec Fisken, pension consultant John Paul Comerford, Benton County treasurer Duane Davidson, and investment firm executive Michael Waite.[4] Liias, Fisken, and Comerford ran as Democrats; Davidson and Waite, as Republicans.[4] Davidson and Waite, both Republicans, finished as the top two candidates in the primary election and advanced to the general election, marking the first time since the top-two system had been instituted that both of the primary slots in any statewide race had been won by Republicans.[6]
Davidson
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Waite
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
Liias
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
Comerford
- 20–30%
Davidson
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
Waite
- 20–30%
Liias
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Duane Davidson | 322,374 | 25.09 | |
| Republican | Michael Waite | 299,766 | 23.33 | |
| Democratic | Marko Liias | 261,633 | 20.36 | |
| Democratic | John Paul Comerford | 230,904 | 17.97 | |
| Democratic | Alec Fisken | 170,117 | 13.24 | |
| Total votes | 1,284,794 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Post-primary endorsements
Davidson received the endorsements of every county treasurer in Washington state, both Democratic and Republican.[8]
Duane Davidson (R)
Statewide officials
- Daniel J. Evans, former governor of Washington[8]
- Mike Murphy, former Washington State Treasurer (1997–2009) (Democratic)[9]
- Sam Reed, former Washington Secretary of State[8]
- Kim Wyman, Washington Secretary of State[8]
Michael Waite (R)
Statewide officials
- Rob McKenna, former Washington Attorney General[8]
- Brian Sonntag, former Washington State Auditor (Democratic)[8]
Newspapers
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Duane Davidson (R) |
Michael Waite (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elway Poll[10] | October 20–22, 2016 | 502 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 17% | 16% | 67% |
| Elway Poll[11] | August 9–13, 2016 | 500 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 16% | 16% | 68% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Duane Davidson | 1,576,580 | 58.15 | |
| Republican | Michael Waite | 1,134,843 | 41.85 | |
| Total votes | 2,711,423 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
By county
| County[13] | Duane Davidson
Republican |
Michael Waite
Republican |
Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 2,466 | 61.02% | 1,575 | 38.98% | 891 | 22.05% | 4,041 |
| Asotin | 4,964 | 58.62% | 3,504 | 41.38% | 1,460 | 17.24% | 8,468 |
| Benton | 50,910 | 70.06% | 21,754 | 29.94% | 29,156 | 40.12% | 72,664 |
| Chelan | 14,996 | 54.04% | 12,755 | 45.96% | 2,241 | 8.08% | 27,751 |
| Clallam | 17,688 | 53.67% | 15,268 | 46.33% | 2,420 | 7.34% | 32,956 |
| Clark | 99,385 | 57.60% | 73,173 | 42.40% | 26,212 | 15.19% | 172,558 |
| Columbia | 1,251 | 65.50% | 659 | 34.50% | 592 | 30.99% | 1,910 |
| Cowlitz | 20,082 | 51.48% | 18,931 | 48.52% | 1,151 | 2.95% | 39,013 |
| Douglas | 7,468 | 56.33% | 5,790 | 43.67% | 1,678 | 12.66% | 13,258 |
| Ferry | 1,709 | 55.89% | 1,349 | 44.11% | 360 | 11.77% | 3,058 |
| Franklin | 13,253 | 63.75% | 7,535 | 36.25% | 5,718 | 27.51% | 20,788 |
| Garfield | 618 | 56.85% | 469 | 43.15% | 149 | 13.71% | 1,087 |
| Grant | 13,285 | 54.53% | 11,078 | 45.47% | 2,207 | 9.06% | 24,363 |
| Grays Harbor | 12,566 | 51.75% | 11,714 | 48.25% | 852 | 3.51% | 24,280 |
| Island | 20,594 | 56.16% | 16,079 | 43.84% | 4,515 | 12.31% | 36,673 |
| Jefferson | 10,305 | 61.34% | 6,496 | 38.66% | 3,809 | 22.67% | 16,801 |
| King | 490,359 | 60.70% | 317,475 | 39.30% | 172,884 | 21.40% | 807,834 |
| Kitsap | 56,508 | 53.30% | 49,511 | 46.70% | 6,997 | 6.60% | 106,019 |
| Kittitas | 9,635 | 60.77% | 6,219 | 39.23% | 3,416 | 21.55% | 15,854 |
| Klickitat | 5,443 | 60.00% | 3,629 | 40.00% | 1,814 | 20.00% | 9,072 |
| Lewis | 16,200 | 54.72% | 13,404 | 45.28% | 2,796 | 9.44% | 29,604 |
| Lincoln | 3,021 | 59.55% | 2,052 | 40.45% | 969 | 19.10% | 5,073 |
| Mason | 12,058 | 50.79% | 11,684 | 49.21% | 374 | 1.58% | 23,742 |
| Okanogan | 7,874 | 55.21% | 6,389 | 44.79% | 1,485 | 10.41% | 14,263 |
| Pacific | 4,744 | 54.06% | 4,032 | 45.94% | 712 | 8.11% | 8,776 |
| Pend Oreille | 3,413 | 58.19% | 2,452 | 41.81% | 961 | 16.39% | 5,865 |
| Pierce | 168,096 | 56.28% | 130,576 | 43.72% | 37,520 | 12.56% | 298,672 |
| San Juan | 4,583 | 56.66% | 3,506 | 43.34% | 1,077 | 13.31% | 8,089 |
| Skagit | 24,920 | 52.82% | 22,262 | 47.18% | 2,658 | 5.63% | 47,182 |
| Skamania | 2,753 | 58.71% | 1,936 | 41.29% | 817 | 17.42% | 4,689 |
| Snohomish | 165,574 | 55.24% | 134,147 | 44.76% | 31,427 | 10.49% | 299,721 |
| Spokane | 116,043 | 58.39% | 82,693 | 41.61% | 33,350 | 16.78% | 198,736 |
| Stevens | 11,514 | 58.05% | 8,320 | 41.95% | 3,194 | 16.10% | 19,834 |
| Thurston | 61,579 | 55.89% | 48,591 | 44.11% | 12,988 | 11.79% | 110,170 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,001 | 53.88% | 857 | 46.12% | 144 | 7.75% | 1,858 |
| Walla Walla | 13,379 | 61.08% | 8,526 | 38.92% | 4,853 | 22.15% | 21,905 |
| Whatcom | 60,564 | 64.72% | 33,011 | 35.28% | 27,553 | 29.44% | 93,575 |
| Whitman | 8,317 | 57.90% | 6,047 | 42.10% | 2,270 | 15.80% | 14,364 |
| Yakima | 37,462 | 56.03% | 29,395 | 43.97% | 8,067 | 12.07% | 66,857 |
| Totals | 1,576,580 | 58.15% | 1,134,843 | 41.85% | 441,737 | 16.29% | 2,711,423 |
References
- 1 2 Santos, Melissa (December 16, 2015). "State Treasurer Jim McIntire won't seek re-election". Tacoma News Tribune. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Duane Davidson wins over Michael Waite in state treasurer race". November 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Washington State Treasurer History". Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cornfield, Jerry (May 19, 2016). "Liias enters race to become Washington state treasurer". The Herald (Everett). Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ Editorial Board, The Seattle Times (July 12, 2016). "The Times recommends: Duane Davidson for state treasurer". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ Geranios, Nicholas (September 20, 2016). "Washington state treasurer race a GOP showdown". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ Wyman, Kim (August 2, 2016). "State Treasurer". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Waite has leg up in GOP-only treasurer race". The Olympian. October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ Editorial Board, The Seattle Times (October 5, 2020). "The Times recommends: Duane Davidson for state treasurer". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
One former state treasurer, Mike Murphy, told this board Davidson should have attended, and he's not endorsing Davidson this time, after endorsing him in 2016.
- ↑ Elway Poll
- ↑ Elway Poll
- ↑ "2016 General Data". sos.wa.gov. Archived from the original on March 15, 2025.
- ↑ Wyman, Kim (November 8, 2016). "State Treasurer - County Results". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on June 27, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
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