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 County results Congressional district results Precinct resultsWyman: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tarleton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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TheWashington Secretary of State election, 2020, was held on November 3, 2020. IncumbentRepublicanKim Wyman won reelection overDemocratic nomineeGael Tarleton, the two having received the most votes in an August 2020 primary election.[1] Wyman became the only Republican to hold statewide office in Washington and the entireWest Coast.[2] As of 2025, this was the last time a Republican won a statewide election in Washington.
Wyman was endorsed by formerWashington governorDaniel J. Evans, former United States senatorSlade Gorton, DemocraticMichigan Secretary of StateJocelyn Benson, three former Republican Washington Secretaries of State, former DemocraticOregon Secretary of StatePhil Keisling, and two formerWashington State Auditors; various county auditors, state legislators, local elected officials, tribal officials, and political organizations, and community leaders; and the newspapersThe Seattle Times,The Everett Herald,The Columbian,The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin,The Olympian,The Tacoma News Tribune,The Tri-City Herald,The Yakima Herald,The Spokesman-Review, andNorthwest Asian Weekly.[3]
Tarleton was endorsed by Democratic presidential nomineeJoe Biden, incumbentWashington governorJay Inslee, former governorGary Locke, United States senatorsPatty Murray andMaria Cantwell,Washington Attorney GeneralBob Ferguson; various United States Representatives, state legislators, local elected officials, political organizations, and community leaders; andThe Stranger.[4]
Newspapers
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic | Progressive | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||||
| Kim Wyman | Gael Tarleton | Gentry Lange | Ed Minger | |||||
| 1 | Jul. 20, 2020 | KSPS League of Women Voters of Washington The Spokesman-Review | Kristi Gorenson | YouTube | P | P | P | P |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kim Wyman (incumbent) | 1,238,455 | 50.89% | |
| Democratic | Gael Tarleton | 1,053,584 | 43.29% | |
| Independent | Ed Minger | 87,982 | 3.62% | |
| Progressive | Gentry Lange | 51,826 | 2.13% | |
| Write-in | 1,919 | 0.08% | ||
| Total votes | 2,433,766 | 100.00% | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[7] | Lean R | June 25, 2020 |
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
| Kim Wyman | Gael Tarleton | |||||
| 1 | Sep. 19, 2020 | League of Women Voters of Washington The Spokesman-Review | Jim Camden | YouTube | P | P |
Graphical summary
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| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Kim Wyman (R) | Gael Tarleton (D) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[8] | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 49% | 43% | 8% |
| SurveyUSA[9] | October 8–10, 2020 | 591 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 45% | 40% | 14% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kim Wyman (incumbent) | 2,116,141 | 53.61% | –1.13% | |
| Democratic | Gael Tarleton | 1,826,710 | 46.27% | +1.01% | |
| Write-in | 4,666 | 0.12% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 3,947,517 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| County[11] | Kim Wyman Republican | Gael Tarleton Democratic | Write-in Various | Margin | Total votes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 4,188 | 73.73% | 1,473 | 25.93% | 19 | 0.33% | 2,715 | 47.80% | 5,680 |
| Asotin | 7,935 | 68.70% | 3,587 | 31.06% | 28 | 0.24% | 4,348 | 37.65% | 11,550 |
| Benton | 69,494 | 69.99% | 29,698 | 29.91% | 106 | 0.11% | 39,796 | 40.08% | 99,298 |
| Chelan | 27,338 | 65.19% | 14,565 | 34.73% | 33 | 0.08% | 12,773 | 30.46% | 41,936 |
| Clallam | 27,675 | 57.77% | 20,181 | 42.13% | 50 | 0.10% | 7,494 | 15.64% | 47,906 |
| Clark | 148,502 | 56.58% | 113,626 | 43.29% | 329 | 0.13% | 34,876 | 13.29% | 262,457 |
| Columbia | 1,880 | 78.11% | 525 | 21.81% | 2 | 0.08% | 1,355 | 56.29% | 2,407 |
| Cowlitz | 37,669 | 65.02% | 20,199 | 34.87% | 64 | 0.11% | 17,470 | 30.16% | 57,932 |
| Douglas | 14,630 | 70.83% | 5,999 | 29.05% | 25 | 0.12% | 8,631 | 41.79% | 20,654 |
| Ferry | 2,949 | 70.16% | 1,246 | 29.65% | 8 | 0.19% | 1,703 | 40.52% | 4,203 |
| Franklin | 20,478 | 64.74% | 11,115 | 35.14% | 36 | 0.11% | 9,363 | 29.60% | 31,629 |
| Garfield | 1,113 | 78.55% | 301 | 21.24% | 3 | 0.21% | 812 | 57.30% | 1,417 |
| Grant | 26,794 | 73.15% | 9,764 | 26.66% | 70 | 0.19% | 17,030 | 46.49% | 36,628 |
| Grays Harbor | 23,509 | 62.82% | 13,854 | 37.02% | 57 | 0.15% | 9,655 | 25.80% | 37,420 |
| Island | 29,295 | 56.06% | 22,895 | 43.82% | 63 | 0.12% | 6,400 | 12.25% | 52,253 |
| Jefferson | 10,063 | 41.42% | 14,217 | 58.52% | 14 | 0.06% | -4,154 | -17.10% | 24,294 |
| King | 482,387 | 41.36% | 682,761 | 58.54% | 1,189 | 0.10% | -200,374 | -17.18% | 1,166,337 |
| Kitsap | 83,886 | 54.57% | 69,638 | 45.30% | 205 | 0.13% | 14,248 | 9.27% | 153,729 |
| Kittitas | 17,007 | 66.67% | 8,487 | 33.27% | 17 | 0.07% | 8,520 | 33.40% | 25,511 |
| Klickitat | 8,022 | 61.36% | 5,025 | 38.44% | 26 | 0.20% | 2,997 | 22.93% | 13,073 |
| Lewis | 32,661 | 74.07% | 11,353 | 25.75% | 79 | 0.18% | 21,308 | 48.33% | 44,093 |
| Lincoln | 5,485 | 79.84% | 1,378 | 20.06% | 7 | 0.10% | 4,107 | 59.78% | 6,870 |
| Mason | 22,891 | 63.28% | 13,216 | 36.53% | 69 | 0.19% | 9,675 | 26.74% | 36,176 |
| Okanogan | 12,949 | 62.80% | 7,651 | 37.11% | 18 | 0.09% | 5,298 | 25.70% | 20,618 |
| Pacific | 7,935 | 58.13% | 5,685 | 41.65% | 31 | 0.23% | 2,250 | 16.48% | 13,651 |
| Pend Oreille | 5,992 | 72.48% | 2,261 | 27.35% | 14 | 0.17% | 3,731 | 45.13% | 8,267 |
| Pierce | 257,698 | 57.28% | 191,684 | 42.61% | 498 | 0.11% | 66,014 | 14.67% | 449,880 |
| San Juan | 4,670 | 36.58% | 8,089 | 63.35% | 9 | 0.07% | -3,419 | -26.78% | 12,768 |
| Skagit | 40,861 | 58.09% | 29,398 | 41.79% | 81 | 0.12% | 11,463 | 16.30% | 70,340 |
| Skamania | 4,251 | 60.23% | 2,793 | 39.57% | 14 | 0.20% | 1,458 | 20.66% | 7,058 |
| Snohomish | 230,222 | 54.14% | 194,563 | 45.75% | 464 | 0.11% | 35,659 | 8.39% | 425,249 |
| Spokane | 171,171 | 60.34% | 112,056 | 39.50% | 462 | 0.16% | 59,115 | 20.84% | 283,689 |
| Stevens | 20,963 | 75.83% | 6,656 | 24.08% | 27 | 0.10% | 14,307 | 51.75% | 27,646 |
| Thurston | 97,311 | 59.64% | 65,627 | 40.22% | 224 | 0.14% | 31,684 | 19.42% | 163,162 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,872 | 65.39% | 984 | 34.37% | 7 | 0.24% | 888 | 31.02% | 2,863 |
| Walla Walla | 19,728 | 65.35% | 10,430 | 34.55% | 32 | 0.11% | 9,298 | 30.80% | 30,190 |
| Whatcom | 65,592 | 48.41% | 69,728 | 51.46% | 171 | 0.13% | -4,136 | -3.05% | 135,491 |
| Whitman | 11,290 | 55.58% | 8,994 | 44.28% | 29 | 0.14% | 2,296 | 11.30% | 20,313 |
| Yakima | 57,785 | 62.22% | 35,008 | 37.69% | 86 | 0.09% | 22,777 | 24.52% | 92,879 |
| Totals | 2,116,141 | 53.61% | 1,826,710 | 46.27% | 4,666 | 0.12% | 289,431 | 7.33% | 3,947,517 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Swing by county
Trend relative to the state by county
County flipsDemocratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold
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Wyman won seven of ten congressional districts, including four that elected Democrats.[12]
| District | Wyman | Tarleton | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 55% | 45% | Suzan DelBene |
| 2nd | 49% | 51% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 60% | 40% | Jaime Herrera Beutler |
| 4th | 67% | 33% | Dan Newhouse |
| 5th | 63% | 37% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 54% | 46% | Derek Kilmer |
| 7th | 32% | 68% | Pramila Jayapal |
| 8th | 61% | 39% | Kim Schrier |
| 9th | 41% | 59% | Adam Smith |
| 10th | 58% | 42% | Denny Heck |
| Marilyn Strickland |
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