The 1996 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1996. Though eligible for a second term, incumbent governor Mike Lowry chose not to run for reelection due to allegations of sexual harassment. This gubernatorial race was especially significant in that it resulted in the first Asian American governor in the mainland United States (after George Ariyoshi of island state Hawaii), Democrat Gary Locke.
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 County results Locke: 50–60% 60–70% Craswell: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary election
editCandidates
editDemocratic
edit- Max Englerius
- Jay Inslee, U.S. Representative from the 4th congressional district
- Gary Locke, King County Executive and former state representative
- Norm Rice, current Mayor of Seattle
- Mohammad H. Said
- Briam Zetlen
Republican
edit- Nona Brazier
- Ellen Craswell, president pro tempore of the Washington Senate
- Dale Foreman, majority leader of the Washington House of Representatives
- Warren E. Hanson
- Norm Maleng, King County Prosecuting Attorney
- Pam Roach, state senator
- Bob Tharp
- Jim Waldo
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gary Locke | 287,762 | 23.65% | |
| Democratic | Norm Rice | 212,888 | 17.50% | |
| Republican | Ellen Craswell | 185,680 | 15.26% | |
| Republican | Dale Foreman | 162,615 | 13.37% | |
| Democratic | Jay Inslee | 118,571 | 9.75% | |
| Republican | Norm Maleng | 109,088 | 8.97% | |
| Republican | Jim Waldo | 63,854 | 5.25% | |
| Republican | Pam Roach | 29,533 | 2.43% | |
| Republican | Nona Brazier | 21,237 | 1.75% | |
| Democratic | Brian Zetlen | 6,152 | 0.51% | |
| Republican | Warren E. Hanson | 4,886 | 0.40% | |
| Republican | Bob Tharp | 4,825 | 0.40% | |
| Socialist Workers | Jeff Powers | 3,742 | 0.31% | |
| Democratic | Mohammad H. Said | 3,007 | 0.25% | |
| Democratic | Max Englerius | 2,837 | 0.23% | |
| Total votes | 1,216,677 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Gary Locke (D), King County Executive and former state representative
- Ellen Craswell (R), president pro tempore of the Washington Senate
Debates
edit- Complete video of debate, September 26, 1996 - C-SPAN
- Complete video of debate, October 9, 1996 - C-SPAN
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gary Locke | 1,296,492 | 57.96% | +5.80% | |
| Republican | Ellen Craswell | 940,538 | 42.04% | −5.80% | |
| Majority | 355,954 | 15.91% | |||
| Total votes | 2,237,030 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | +11.59% | |||
Results by county
editThis is the most recent gubernatorial election in which Kittitas County has voted for a Democrat.
| County[4] | Gary Locke Democratic |
Ellen Craswell Republican |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,829 | 40.13% | 2,729 | 59.87% | -900 | -19.75% | 4,558 |
| Asotin | 3,696 | 50.89% | 3,567 | 49.11% | 129 | 1.78% | 7,263 |
| Benton | 25,899 | 48.34% | 27,682 | 51.66% | -1,783 | -3.33% | 53,581 |
| Chelan | 9,928 | 42.23% | 13,584 | 57.77% | -3,656 | -15.55% | 23,512 |
| Clallam | 14,536 | 49.31% | 14,941 | 50.69% | -405 | -1.37% | 29,477 |
| Clark | 58,400 | 52.65% | 52,525 | 47.35% | 5,875 | 5.30% | 110,925 |
| Columbia | 863 | 44.10% | 1,094 | 55.90% | -231 | -11.80% | 1,957 |
| Cowlitz | 19,175 | 58.07% | 13,843 | 41.93% | 5,332 | 16.15% | 33,018 |
| Douglas | 4,353 | 40.27% | 6,456 | 59.73% | -2,103 | -19.46% | 10,809 |
| Ferry | 1,251 | 44.76% | 1,544 | 55.24% | -293 | -10.48% | 2,795 |
| Franklin | 5,685 | 46.66% | 6,499 | 53.34% | -814 | -6.68% | 12,184 |
| Garfield | 511 | 40.56% | 749 | 59.44% | -238 | -18.89% | 1,260 |
| Grant | 8,916 | 41.04% | 12,807 | 58.96% | -3,891 | -17.91% | 21,723 |
| Grays Harbor | 15,851 | 60.66% | 10,278 | 39.34% | 5,573 | 21.33% | 26,129 |
| Island | 14,874 | 52.59% | 13,409 | 47.41% | 1,465 | 5.18% | 28,283 |
| Jefferson | 8,268 | 59.18% | 5,702 | 40.82% | 2,566 | 18.37% | 13,970 |
| King | 490,284 | 67.03% | 241,134 | 32.97% | 249,150 | 34.06% | 731,418 |
| Kitsap | 50,121 | 54.84% | 41,275 | 45.16% | 8,846 | 9.68% | 91,396 |
| Kittitas | 6,609 | 53.17% | 5,822 | 46.83% | 787 | 6.33% | 12,431 |
| Klickitat | 3,337 | 49.20% | 3,445 | 50.80% | -108 | -1.59% | 6,782 |
| Lewis | 11,377 | 42.15% | 15,613 | 57.85% | -4,236 | -15.69% | 26,990 |
| Lincoln | 1,947 | 38.92% | 3,055 | 61.08% | -1,108 | -22.15% | 5,002 |
| Mason | 11,421 | 55.30% | 9,231 | 44.70% | 2,190 | 10.60% | 20,652 |
| Okanogan | 5,489 | 42.36% | 7,468 | 57.64% | -1,979 | -15.27% | 12,957 |
| Pacific | 5,699 | 62.85% | 3,368 | 37.15% | 2,331 | 25.71% | 9,067 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,308 | 46.94% | 2,609 | 53.06% | -301 | -6.12% | 4,917 |
| Pierce | 131,194 | 55.43% | 105,500 | 44.57% | 25,694 | 10.86% | 236,694 |
| San Juan | 4,567 | 63.19% | 2,660 | 36.81% | 1,907 | 26.39% | 7,227 |
| Skagit | 21,522 | 52.81% | 19,232 | 47.19% | 2,290 | 5.62% | 40,754 |
| Skamania | 1,915 | 52.04% | 1,765 | 47.96% | 150 | 4.08% | 3,680 |
| Snohomish | 126,425 | 57.40% | 93,827 | 42.60% | 32,598 | 14.80% | 220,252 |
| Spokane | 84,740 | 53.30% | 74,249 | 46.70% | 10,491 | 6.60% | 158,989 |
| Stevens | 6,687 | 40.62% | 9,777 | 59.38% | -3,090 | -18.77% | 16,464 |
| Thurston | 53,106 | 61.10% | 33,813 | 38.90% | 19,293 | 22.20% | 86,919 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,013 | 56.47% | 781 | 43.53% | 232 | 12.93% | 1,794 |
| Walla Walla | 9,710 | 50.11% | 9,669 | 49.89% | 41 | 0.21% | 19,379 |
| Whatcom | 34,679 | 54.02% | 29,517 | 45.98% | 5,162 | 8.04% | 64,196 |
| Whitman | 8,743 | 55.60% | 6,981 | 44.40% | 1,762 | 11.21% | 15,724 |
| Yakima | 29,564 | 47.76% | 32,338 | 52.24% | -2,774 | -4.48% | 61,902 |
| Totals | 1,296,492 | 57.96% | 940,538 | 42.04% | 355,954 | 15.91% | 2,237,030 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
editReferences
edit- ^ "Elections Search Results September 1996 Primary". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Returns of the Washington State Primary September 17, 1996. Olympia, Washington. pp. 2–4.
- ^ "Elections Search Results November 1996 General". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Returns of the State General Election November 5, 1996. Olympia, Washington. p. 10.