Denny Heck, Marko Liias lead in Lieutenant Governor race

Denny Heck (27%) and Marko Liias (17%) are leading in the race for Lieutenant Governor in Washington state’s Primary election. The top two vote getters will move on to the general election on Nov. 3, 2020.

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Trailing Liias are Ann Davison Sattler (12%), Marty McClendon (11%), Richard Muri (10%), Michelle Jasmer (9%), and Joseph Brumbles (7%). Jared Frerichs, James Rafferty, Matt Seymour, and Bill Penor have each pulled in less than 3% of the vote.

Current Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib announced in March that he wouldn’t run again for the office as he’s joining the Jesuits. His vacated seat prompted 11 candidates to run. One of them was Heck, Congressmember in District 10. That open seat attracted 19 candidates.

In addition to being the first in line of succession if the governor were to die, resign, or be removed from office, the Lt. Governor is also the president of the Washington State Senate.

According to statements submitted to the voter’s pamphlet, candidates were all over the map on the state’s top priorities. Many were focused on small businesses, families, and taxes.

Heck released the following statement after securing an early lead:

We are so proud and excited by the overwhelming support we’ve seen tonight from voters across Washington state. Coming in first with over 25% of the vote in an 11 way race is deeply gratifying, and the results clearly show that as Washington recovers from a historic economic crisis, voters want experienced leaders with values they can trust. Our campaign has been built on statewide grassroots support from individual voters — not big-money corporate donations. I am excited to build upon our outstanding lead into the general election, and will continue to fight for all Washingtonians as our state’s next Lieutenant Governor.

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