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 County results Congressional district resultsKelley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Watkins: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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The2012 Washington State Auditor election was held on November 6, 2012, to elect theWashington State Auditor, concurrently with the2012 U.S. presidential election, as well aselections to theU.S. Senate and variousstate and local elections, including forU.S. House andgovernor of Washington. Washington is one of two states that holds atop-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.
Five-term incumbentDemocratic State AuditorBrian Sonntag retired.[1] Democraticstate RepresentativeTroy Kelley defeatedRepublican James Watkins to succeed Sonntag.[2]
The top-two primary was held on August 7.
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Statewide officials
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Watkins | 584,444 | 46.09 | |
| Democratic | Troy Kelley | 291,335 | 22.98 | |
| Democratic | Craig Pridemore | 268,220 | 21.15 | |
| Democratic | Mark Miloscia | 123,936 | 9.77 | |
| Total votes | 1,267,935 | 100.00 | ||
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| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Troy Kelley (D) | James Watkins (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elway Research[10] | October 18–21, 2012 | 451 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 34% | 29% | 37% |
| Elway Research[11] | September 9–12, 2012 | 405 (RV) | ± 5.0% | 36% | 27% | 38% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Troy Kelley | 1,512,620 | 52.95 | –10.59 | |
| Republican | James Watkins | 1,344,137 | 47.05 | +10.59 | |
| Total votes | 2,856,757 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
| County[13] | Troy Kelley Democratic | James Watkins Republican | Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,348 | 30.47% | 3,076 | 69.53% | -1,728 | -39.06% | 4,424 |
| Asotin | 3,771 | 41.07% | 5,411 | 58.93% | -1,640 | -17.86% | 9,182 |
| Benton | 24,989 | 34.20% | 48,083 | 65.80% | -23,094 | -31.60% | 73,072 |
| Chelan | 11,016 | 37.36% | 18,471 | 62.64% | -7,455 | -25.28% | 29,487 |
| Clallam | 16,216 | 46.21% | 18,875 | 53.79% | -2,659 | -7.58% | 35,091 |
| Clark | 82,405 | 46.85% | 93,481 | 53.15% | -11,076 | -6.30% | 175,886 |
| Columbia | 577 | 28.33% | 1,460 | 71.67% | -883 | -43.35% | 2,037 |
| Cowlitz | 20,787 | 50.36% | 20,486 | 49.64% | 301 | 0.73% | 41,273 |
| Douglas | 4,586 | 33.19% | 9,233 | 66.81% | -4,647 | -33.63% | 13,819 |
| Ferry | 1,221 | 38.66% | 1,937 | 61.34% | -716 | -22.67% | 3,158 |
| Franklin | 7,737 | 36.13% | 13,680 | 63.87% | -5,943 | -27.75% | 21,417 |
| Garfield | 336 | 29.12% | 818 | 70.88% | -482 | -41.77% | 1,154 |
| Grant | 8,377 | 32.52% | 17,380 | 67.48% | -9,003 | -34.95% | 25,757 |
| Grays Harbor | 14,381 | 54.01% | 12,245 | 45.99% | 2,136 | 8.02% | 26,626 |
| Island | 18,708 | 48.37% | 19,967 | 51.63% | -1,259 | -3.26% | 38,675 |
| Jefferson | 11,263 | 61.63% | 7,013 | 38.37% | 4,250 | 23.25% | 18,276 |
| King | 558,930 | 64.58% | 306,553 | 35.42% | 252,377 | 29.16% | 865,483 |
| Kitsap | 58,390 | 51.05% | 55,989 | 48.95% | 2,401 | 2.10% | 114,379 |
| Kittitas | 6,765 | 41.36% | 9,590 | 58.64% | -2,825 | -17.27% | 16,355 |
| Klickitat | 4,209 | 44.21% | 5,312 | 55.79% | -1,103 | -11.58% | 9,521 |
| Lewis | 11,381 | 36.23% | 20,033 | 63.77% | -8,652 | -27.54% | 31,414 |
| Lincoln | 1,606 | 29.40% | 3,856 | 70.60% | -2,250 | -41.19% | 5,462 |
| Mason | 13,026 | 49.59% | 13,239 | 50.41% | -213 | -0.81% | 26,265 |
| Okanogan | 6,451 | 41.32% | 9,162 | 58.68% | -2,711 | -17.36% | 15,613 |
| Pacific | 5,142 | 52.49% | 4,654 | 47.51% | 488 | 4.98% | 9,796 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,381 | 38.34% | 3,829 | 61.66% | -1,448 | -23.32% | 6,210 |
| Pierce | 164,758 | 51.90% | 152,714 | 48.10% | 12,044 | 3.79% | 317,472 |
| San Juan | 6,347 | 64.87% | 3,437 | 35.13% | 2,910 | 29.74% | 9,784 |
| Skagit | 24,818 | 48.85% | 25,987 | 51.15% | -1,169 | -2.30% | 50,805 |
| Skamania | 2,347 | 46.75% | 2,673 | 53.25% | -326 | -6.49% | 5,020 |
| Snohomish | 160,487 | 52.81% | 143,403 | 47.19% | 17,084 | 5.62% | 303,890 |
| Spokane | 90,855 | 44.06% | 115,340 | 55.94% | -24,485 | -11.87% | 206,195 |
| Stevens | 7,156 | 34.43% | 13,628 | 65.57% | -6,472 | -31.14% | 20,784 |
| Thurston | 63,094 | 54.58% | 52,515 | 45.42% | 10,579 | 9.15% | 115,609 |
| Wahkiakum | 947 | 46.24% | 1,101 | 53.76% | -154 | -7.52% | 2,048 |
| Walla Walla | 8,533 | 37.04% | 14,504 | 62.96% | -5,971 | -25.92% | 23,037 |
| Whatcom | 50,325 | 53.22% | 44,235 | 46.78% | 6,090 | 6.44% | 94,560 |
| Whitman | 6,806 | 44.05% | 8,646 | 55.95% | -1,840 | -11.91% | 15,452 |
| Yakima | 30,148 | 41.72% | 42,121 | 58.28% | -11,973 | -16.57% | 72,269 |
| Totals | 1,512,620 | 52.95% | 1,344,137 | 47.05% | 168,483 | 5.90% | 2,856,757 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Swing by county
Trend relative to the state by county
County flipsDemocratic Hold | Republican Hold Gain from Democratic
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Kelley won five of ten congressional districts, with the remaining five going to Watkins, including one that elected a Democrat.[14]
| District | Kelley | Watkins | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 49.7% | 50.3% | Suzan DelBene |
| 2nd | 56% | 44% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 46% | 54% | Jaime Herrera Beutler |
| 4th | 37% | 63% | Doc Hastings |
| 5th | 42% | 58% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 53% | 47% | Norm Dicks |
| Derek Kilmer | |||
| 7th | 75% | 25% | Jim McDermott |
| 8th | 46% | 54% | Dave Reichert |
| 9th | 64% | 36% | Adam Smith |
| 10th | 54% | 46% | Denny Heck |
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