Washington State Senate elections, 2026
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| 2026 Washington Senate Election |
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Seats up: 24 |
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Elections for theWashington State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is onNovember 3, 2026. The primary isAugust 4, 2026. The filing deadline isMay 8, 2026.
TheWashington State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| As of February 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 30 | |
| Republican | 19 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | |
Candidates
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia definesofficial candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Primary
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionGeneral election
Washington State Senate general election 2026 | |||
| |||
| Office |  Democratic |  Republican | Other |
| District 6 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 7 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 8 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 13 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 15 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 21 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 26 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 29 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 30 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 31 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 32 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 33 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 34 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 35 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 36 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 37 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 38 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 42 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 43 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 44 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 45 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 46 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 47 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 48 | Primary results pending | ||
Voting information
- See also:Voting in Washington
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Washington. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, pleaseclick here.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Washington Senate from 2010 to 2026.[1] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Washington State Senate elections: 2010 - 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2026 | 24 | TBD | TBD |
| 2024 | 25 | 8 (32 percent) | 17 (68 percent) |
| 2022 | 25 | 6 (24 percent) | 19 (76 percent) |
| 2020 | 25 | 3 (12 percent) | 22 (88 percent) |
| 2018 | 25 | 3 (12 percent) | 22 (88 percent) |
| 2016 | 26 | 7 (27 percent) | 19 (73 percent) |
| 2014 | 25 | 4 (16 percent) | 21 (84 percent) |
| 2012 | 26 | 7 (27 percent) | 19 (73 percent) |
| 2010 | 25 | 5 (20 percent) | 20 (80 percent) |
Process to become a candidate
See statutes:Chapter 29A.24 of the Washington Election Code
A candidate who desires to have his or her name printed on the ballot for election to an office other than president or vice president must complete and file a declaration of candidacy. The candidate must do the following:
- declare that he or she is a registered voter within the jurisdiction of the office for which he or she is filing (the candidate must include the address at which he or she is registered)
- indicate the position for which he or she is filing
- state a party preference, if the office is a partisan office
- indicate the amount of the filing fee accompanying the declaration of candidacy (the candidate may also indicate that he or she is filing a petition in lieu of the filing fee)
- sign the declaration of candidacy, stating that the information provided on the form is true and swearing or affirming that he or she will support the constitution and laws of the United States and the constitution and laws of the state of Washington[2]
The filing period for candidates begins on the first Monday in May and ends the following Friday in the year in which the office is scheduled to be voted upon. For statewide offices and state legislative districts, candidates file with the secretary of state. Candidates must also submit the declaration of candidacy to theWashington Public Disclosure Commission within one business day after the filing period has ended.[3][4]
A filing fee equal to 1 percent of the annual salary of the office at the time of filing must accompany the declaration of candidacy for any office with a fixed annual salary of more than $1,000. For offices that pay less than $1,000, candidates must pay a filing fee of $10.[5] A candidate who lacks sufficient assets or income at the time of filing may submit with his or her declaration of candidacy a filing fee petition. The petition must contain signatures from registered voters equal to the number of dollars of the filing fee.
For write-in candidates
Any person who desires to be a write-in candidate and have his or her votes counted at a primary or general election can file a declaration of candidacy with theWashington Secretary of State and theWashington Public Disclosure Commission up to 8:00 p.m. on the day of the primary or general election. A declaration of candidacy for a write-in candidate must be accompanied by a filing fee or a filing fee petition with the required signatures if filing within 18 days of the election (fees and signature requirements are the same as those summarized above).[6]
Qualifications
Section 7 of Article 2 of theWashington Constitution states, "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not be a citizen of the United States and a qualified voter in the district for which he is chosen."
Salaries and per diem
| State legislative salaries, 2025[7] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $60,191/year for senators. $61,997/year for representatives. | $206/day |
When sworn in
Washington legislators assume office the second Monday of January.[8]
Washington political history
Trifectas
Astate government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Washington Party Control: 1992-2026
Twenty years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Presidential politics in Washington
2024
- See also:Presidential election, 2024
Presidential election in Washington, 2024
Candidate/Running mate | % | Popular votes | Electoral votes | ||
| ✔ |   | Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) | 57.2 | 2,245,849 | 12 |
  | Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R) | 39.0 | 1,530,923 | 0 | |
  | Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (We the People) | 1.4 | 54,868 | 0 | |
  | Jill Stein/Butch Ware (G) | 0.8 | 29,754 | 0 | |
  | Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L) | 0.4 | 16,428 | 0 | |
  | Claudia De La Cruz/Karina Garcia (Party for Socialism and Liberation) | 0.2 | 8,695 | 0 | |
  | Cornel West/Melina Abdullah (Justice for All) | 0.2 | 7,254 | 0 | |
  | Shiva Ayyadurai/Crystal Ellis (Independent) | 0.1 | 3,323 | 0 | |
  | Joseph Kishore/Jerry White (Socialist Equality Party) | 0.0 | 917 | 0 | |
  | Rachele Fruit/Dennis Richter (Socialist Workers Party) | 0.0 | 824 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes | 0.6 | 25,408 | 0 | ||
 | There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified. | Total votes: 3,924,243 |
2020
- See also:Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in Washington, 2020
Candidate/Running mate | % | Popular votes | Electoral votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) | 58.0 | 2,369,612 | 12 |
 | Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) | 38.8 | 1,584,651 | 0 | |
  | Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) | 2.0 | 80,500 | 0 | |
  | Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) | 0.4 | 18,289 | 0 | |
  | Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation) | 0.1 | 4,840 | 0 | |
  | Alyson Kennedy/Malcolm Jarrett (Socialist Workers Party) | 0.1 | 2,487 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes | 0.7 | 27,252 | 0 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined The results have been certified. | Total votes: 4,087,631 |
2016
- See also:Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Washington, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 52.5% | 1,742,718 | 12 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 36.8% | 1,221,747 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 4.9% | 160,879 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.8% | 58,417 | 0 | |
| Socialist Workers | Alyson Kennedy/Osborne Hart | 0.1% | 4,307 | 0 | |
| Socialism and Liberation | Gloria Estela La Riva/Eugene Puryear | 0.1% | 3,523 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.5% | 17,623 | 0 | |
| - | Other/Write-in | 3.3% | 107,805 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 3,317,019 | 12 | |||
| Election results via:Federal Election Commission | |||||
Washington presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 18Democratic wins
- 13Republican wins
- 1other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | P[10] | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On March 15, 2024, JudgeRobert Lasnik of theU.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ordered the state to adopt a new legislative map namedRemedial Map 3B that complies with theVoting Rights Act. Judge Lasnik ordered Washington to redraw a legislative district in the Yakima Valley region because its boundaries undermined the ability of Latino voters to participate equally in elections. According to the district court's decision:[11][12]
| “ | The task of fashioning a remedy for a Voting Rights Act violation is not one that falls within the Court’s normal duties. It is only because the State declined to reconvene the Redistricting Commission – with its expertise, staff, and ability to solicit public comments – that the Court was compelled to step in. Nevertheless, with the comprehensive and extensive presentations from the parties, the participation of the Yakama Nation, and the able assistance of Ms. Mac Donald, the Court is confident that the adopted map best achieves the many goals of the remedial process. The Secretary of State is hereby ORDERED to conduct future elections according to Remedial Map 3B...[12][13] | ” |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.031," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.050," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.070," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.091," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.311," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑Washington State Legislature, "RCW 44.04.021 Commencement of terms of office," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑Democrats gained full control of the state Senate after a special election on November 7, 2017.
- ↑Progressive Party
- ↑Washington State Standard, "Federal judge orders redrawing of Yakima Valley legislative district," August 10, 2023
- ↑12.012.1U.S. District Court for the District of Washington at Seattle, "Case No. 3:22-cv-05035-RSL: Susan Soto Palmer v. Steven Hobbs," March 15, 2024
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
