AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Washington state’s primaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — Five months after holding its presidential primaries, Washington state is looking further down the ticket and selecting candidates to compete for federal and state offices in November.

A handful of retirements — most notably those of third-term Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers — have injected some excitement into primaries for this left-leaning state.

The governor’s race has drawn a crowded field, with 28 candidates, including the state’s current attorney general, Bob Ferguson. That figure doesn’t include two additional Democratic candidates also named Bob Ferguson, both recruited by a conservative activist, who withdrew from the ballot shortly after filing. The short-lived gag hasn’t seemed to take the wind out of Attorney General Ferguson’s sails, as he’s raised more than $8.6 million — more than double the next-best funded candidate.

The state’s eight other executive offices are also up this year. Three of them do not include incumbents. Ferguson is leaving the attorney general’s office to seek the governorship, while Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz is running for U.S. House and Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, who faced accusations of creating a hostile workplace and calls to resign during his current term, is not running for reelection.

Kilmer represents the state’s 6th Congressional District, which includes the entire Olympia Peninsula and the city of Tacoma. It’s been represented by a Democrat since 1965. Franz, a Democrat, has raised about $1.4 million, with fellow Democrat and state Sen. Emily Randall running second in the money race with around $1 million.

Both could find themselves on the ballot in November, as Washington has a top-two primary system in which all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party and the top two finishers advance to the general election.

McMorris Rodgers’ seat, which covers the eastern third of the state and includes Spokane, has drawn almost one-dozen candidates. Many have elected experience, including Spokane County treasurer and former state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, the race’s top fundraiser, and state Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber. McMorris Rodgers hasn’t endorsed anyone in the race.

In the southwestern corner, the state’s 3rd Congressional District is likely to be a key race in November. Democratic incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez pulled off an upset in the 2022 midterms, flipping the district. She has vastly outraised her primary challengers, and with her path to November looking fairly straightforward, her seat will be a prime target for Republicans come fall.

Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:

Primary day

The Washington state primary will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 11 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot

The Associated Press will provide coverage for 62 contested races, including all-party primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state executive offices, state Supreme Court and both state legislative chambers.

Who gets to vote

Any registered voter in Washington may participate in the primary election.

Decision notes

Besides conducting all-party primaries, Washington conducts its elections entirely by mail. All registered voters are sent an absentee ballot, and as long as the ballots are postmarked by election day, they can be counted.

Like other all-mail states, Washington tends to count its vote relatively slowly. In state races, slow vote-counting could delay a call for one or both spots on the November ballot if it’s not clear which candidates will prevail once all votes are tabulated.

For statewide races, the key counties to watch are the populous counties of King, which includes Seattle, and its northern and southern neighbors, Pierce and Snohomish.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

What do turnout and advance vote look like?

As of July 19, there were 4,831,157 registered voters in Washington. Washington does not register voters by party.

In the 2024 presidential primaries, turnout was 35% of just under 4.9 million registered voters.

Absentee ballots began going out on July 19. As of July 31, more than 608,000 ballots had been cast in the all-party primaries.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 Democratic presidential primary, the AP first reported results at 11:02 p.m. ET, or two minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 11:30 p.m. ET with about 71% of total votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 91 days until the November general election.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.