2008 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election
November 4, 2008
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Goldmark: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Sutherland: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||
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The 2008 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election was held on November 4, 2008, to elect the Washington Public Lands Commissioner, concurrently with the 2008 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the U.S. Senate and various state and local elections, including for U.S. House and governor of Washington.
Democrat Peter J. Goldmark narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Public Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland.[1]
Candidates
Washington is one of two states that holds a top-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.
Republican Party
Advanced to general
- Doug Sutherland, incumbent public lands commissioner (2001–2009)[2]
Democratic Party
Advanced to general
- Peter J. Goldmark, rancher and candidate for Washington's 5th congressional district in 2006[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Doug Sutherland (incumbent) | 691,145 | 51.13 | |
| Democratic | Peter J. Goldmark | 660,714 | 48.87 | |
| Total votes | 1,351,859 | 100.00 | ||
By county
| County[5] | Doug Sutherland
Republican |
Peter J. Goldmark
Democratic |
Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,709 | 68.33% | 792 | 31.67% | 917 | 36.67% | 2,501 |
| Asotin | 2,906 | 55.38% | 2,341 | 44.62% | 565 | 10.77% | 5,247 |
| Benton | 24,980 | 66.40% | 12,638 | 33.60% | 12,342 | 32.81% | 37,618 |
| Chelan | 10,240 | 61.22% | 6,487 | 38.78% | 3,753 | 22.44% | 16,727 |
| Clallam | 11,969 | 55.33% | 9,662 | 44.67% | 2,307 | 10.67% | 21,631 |
| Clark | 38,475 | 53.58% | 33,327 | 46.42% | 5,148 | 7.17% | 71,802 |
| Columbia | 1,012 | 68.84% | 458 | 31.16% | 554 | 37.69% | 1,470 |
| Cowlitz | 10,541 | 49.29% | 10,845 | 50.71% | -304 | -1.42% | 21,386 |
| Douglas | 5,159 | 62.18% | 3,138 | 37.82% | 2,021 | 24.36% | 8,297 |
| Ferry | 1,180 | 58.27% | 845 | 41.73% | 335 | 16.54% | 2,025 |
| Franklin | 7,104 | 65.77% | 3,698 | 34.23% | 3,406 | 31.53% | 10,802 |
| Garfield | 507 | 67.78% | 241 | 32.22% | 266 | 35.56% | 748 |
| Grant | 9,284 | 63.38% | 5,364 | 36.62% | 3,920 | 26.76% | 14,648 |
| Grays Harbor | 9,242 | 54.44% | 7,733 | 45.56% | 1,509 | 8.89% | 16,975 |
| Island | 12,351 | 52.10% | 11,356 | 47.90% | 995 | 4.20% | 23,707 |
| Jefferson | 5,079 | 40.58% | 7,436 | 59.42% | -2,357 | -18.83% | 12,515 |
| King | 137,487 | 41.23% | 196,000 | 58.77% | -58,513 | -17.55% | 333,487 |
| Kitsap | 32,373 | 51.03% | 31,060 | 48.97% | 1,313 | 2.07% | 63,433 |
| Kittitas | 5,828 | 60.96% | 3,733 | 39.04% | 2,095 | 21.91% | 9,561 |
| Klickitat | 2,878 | 55.81% | 2,279 | 44.19% | 599 | 11.62% | 5,157 |
| Lewis | 12,539 | 66.10% | 6,430 | 33.90% | 6,109 | 32.21% | 18,969 |
| Lincoln | 2,291 | 60.59% | 1,490 | 39.41% | 801 | 21.18% | 3,781 |
| Mason | 9,289 | 55.86% | 7,340 | 44.14% | 1,949 | 11.72% | 16,629 |
| Okanogan | 4,584 | 51.29% | 4,353 | 48.71% | 231 | 2.58% | 8,937 |
| Pacific | 3,367 | 50.61% | 3,286 | 49.39% | 81 | 1.22% | 6,653 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,158 | 57.69% | 1,583 | 42.31% | 575 | 15.37% | 3,741 |
| Pierce | 80,609 | 55.61% | 64,349 | 44.39% | 16,260 | 11.22% | 144,958 |
| San Juan | 2,538 | 38.75% | 4,011 | 61.25% | -1,473 | -22.49% | 6,549 |
| Skagit | 15,698 | 53.30% | 13,752 | 46.70% | 1,946 | 6.61% | 29,450 |
| Skamania | 1,264 | 52.67% | 1,136 | 47.33% | 128 | 5.33% | 2,400 |
| Snohomish | 69,230 | 49.77% | 69,864 | 50.23% | -634 | -0.46% | 139,094 |
| Spokane | 54,445 | 51.39% | 51,495 | 48.61% | 2,950 | 2.78% | 105,940 |
| Stevens | 7,737 | 62.31% | 4,679 | 37.69% | 3,058 | 24.63% | 12,416 |
| Thurston | 33,195 | 52.29% | 30,286 | 47.71% | 2,909 | 4.58% | 63,481 |
| Wahkiakum | 787 | 58.08% | 568 | 41.92% | 219 | 16.16% | 1,355 |
| Walla Walla | 8,196 | 62.07% | 5,009 | 37.93% | 3,187 | 24.13% | 13,205 |
| Whatcom | 23,305 | 49.95% | 23,349 | 50.05% | -44 | -0.09% | 46,654 |
| Whitman | 4,231 | 52.62% | 3,810 | 47.38% | 421 | 5.24% | 8,041 |
| Yakima | 25,378 | 63.65% | 14,491 | 36.35% | 10,887 | 27.31% | 39,869 |
| Totals | 691,145 | 51.13% | 660,714 | 48.87% | 30,431 | 2.25% | 1,351,859 |
| Elections in Washington (state) |
|---|
General election
Endorsements
Peter J. Goldmark (D)
Newspapers
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Doug Sutherland (R) |
Peter Goldmark (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[7] | October 30 – November 2, 2008 | 663 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 48% | 42% | 10% |
| SurveyUSA[8] | October 26–27, 2008 | 630 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 45% | 43% | 12% |
| SurveyUSA[9] | October 12–13, 2008 | 544 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 47% | 38% | 15% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peter J. Goldmark | 1,416,904 | 50.55 | ||
| Republican | Doug Sutherland (incumbent) | 1,385,903 | 49.45 | ||
| Total votes | 2,802,807 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
By county
| County[11] | Doug Sutherland
Republican |
Peter J. Goldmark
Democratic |
Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 3,077 | 68.50% | 1,415 | 31.50% | -1,662 | -37.00% | 4,492 |
| Asotin | 5,180 | 56.78% | 3,943 | 43.22% | -1,237 | -13.56% | 9,123 |
| Benton | 45,384 | 66.96% | 22,392 | 33.04% | -22,992 | -33.92% | 67,776 |
| Chelan | 18,318 | 61.24% | 11,596 | 38.76% | -6,722 | -22.47% | 29,914 |
| Clallam | 20,349 | 56.12% | 15,913 | 43.88% | -4,436 | -12.23% | 36,262 |
| Clark | 88,956 | 52.92% | 79,143 | 47.08% | -9,813 | -5.84% | 168,099 |
| Columbia | 1,423 | 68.71% | 648 | 31.29% | -775 | -37.42% | 2,071 |
| Cowlitz | 21,964 | 52.36% | 19,988 | 47.64% | -1,976 | -4.71% | 41,952 |
| Douglas | 8,942 | 62.95% | 5,262 | 37.05% | -3,680 | -25.91% | 14,204 |
| Ferry | 1,908 | 57.78% | 1,394 | 42.22% | -514 | -15.57% | 3,302 |
| Franklin | 12,157 | 65.12% | 6,513 | 34.88% | -5,644 | -30.23% | 18,670 |
| Garfield | 913 | 72.46% | 347 | 27.54% | -566 | -44.92% | 1,260 |
| Grant | 16,502 | 64.28% | 9,170 | 35.72% | -7,332 | -28.56% | 25,672 |
| Grays Harbor | 16,852 | 60.53% | 10,988 | 39.47% | -5,864 | -21.06% | 27,840 |
| Island | 20,547 | 52.61% | 18,511 | 47.39% | -2,036 | -5.21% | 39,058 |
| Jefferson | 7,700 | 41.18% | 10,997 | 58.82% | 3,297 | 17.63% | 18,697 |
| King | 314,993 | 38.12% | 511,295 | 61.88% | 196,302 | 23.76% | 826,288 |
| Kitsap | 59,942 | 51.46% | 56,552 | 48.54% | -3,390 | -2.91% | 116,494 |
| Kittitas | 9,874 | 59.71% | 6,663 | 40.29% | -3,211 | -19.42% | 16,537 |
| Klickitat | 5,208 | 55.18% | 4,231 | 44.82% | -977 | -10.35% | 9,439 |
| Lewis | 22,365 | 67.84% | 10,602 | 32.16% | -11,763 | -35.68% | 32,967 |
| Lincoln | 3,489 | 62.36% | 2,106 | 37.64% | -1,383 | -24.72% | 5,595 |
| Mason | 15,407 | 56.97% | 11,635 | 43.03% | -3,772 | -13.95% | 27,042 |
| Okanogan | 8,028 | 49.74% | 8,112 | 50.26% | 84 | 0.52% | 16,140 |
| Pacific | 5,685 | 55.04% | 4,643 | 44.96% | -1,042 | -10.09% | 10,328 |
| Pend Oreille | 3,666 | 59.14% | 2,533 | 40.86% | -1,133 | -18.28% | 6,199 |
| Pierce | 170,256 | 54.79% | 140,483 | 45.21% | -29,773 | -9.58% | 310,739 |
| San Juan | 3,633 | 37.29% | 6,110 | 62.71% | 2,477 | 25.42% | 9,743 |
| Skagit | 28,222 | 54.01% | 24,032 | 45.99% | -4,190 | -8.02% | 52,254 |
| Skamania | 2,738 | 54.13% | 2,320 | 45.87% | -418 | -8.26% | 5,058 |
| Snohomish | 147,375 | 49.32% | 151,459 | 50.68% | 4,084 | 1.37% | 298,834 |
| Spokane | 106,492 | 51.93% | 98,569 | 48.07% | -7,923 | -3.86% | 205,061 |
| Stevens | 13,064 | 61.66% | 8,123 | 38.34% | -4,941 | -23.32% | 21,187 |
| Thurston | 63,028 | 53.40% | 55,008 | 46.60% | -8,020 | -6.79% | 118,036 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,242 | 58.78% | 871 | 41.22% | -371 | -17.56% | 2,113 |
| Walla Walla | 14,152 | 62.72% | 8,412 | 37.28% | -5,740 | -25.44% | 22,564 |
| Whatcom | 45,234 | 48.53% | 47,978 | 51.47% | 2,744 | 2.94% | 93,212 |
| Whitman | 8,377 | 52.01% | 7,731 | 47.99% | -646 | -4.01% | 16,108 |
| Yakima | 43,261 | 59.69% | 29,216 | 40.31% | -14,045 | -19.38% | 72,477 |
| Totals | 1,385,903 | 49.45% | 1,416,904 | 50.55% | 31,001 | 1.11% | 2,802,807 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
By congressional district
Despite losing the state, Sutherland won seven of nine congressional districts, including four that elected Democrats.[12]
| District | Sutherland | Goldmark | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 47% | 53% | Jay Inslee |
| 2nd | 51% | 49% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 54% | 46% | Brian Baird |
| 4th | 63% | 37% | Doc Hastings |
| 5th | 54% | 46% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 53% | 47% | Norm Dicks |
| 7th | 23% | 77% | Jim McDermott |
| 8th | 53% | 47% | Dave Reichert |
| 9th | 52% | 48% | Adam Smith |
References
- ^ Heffter, Emily; Cornwall, Warren (November 7, 2008). "Goldmark declares victory in lands-commissioner race, Sutherland won't concede". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/democrats-considering-run-against-lands-1241663.php
- ^ https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/rancher-goldmark-seeks-a-harvest-of-votes-1251391.php
- ^ Reed, Sam (August 19, 2008). "Commissioner of Public Lands". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on May 2, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ Reed, Sam (August 19, 2008). "Commissioner of Public Lands - County Results". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on April 30, 2025. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Editorial Board, The Seattle Times (October 20, 2008). "Goldmark for Public Lands commissioner". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ Reed, Sam (November 4, 2008). "Commissioner of Public Lands". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ Reed, Sam (November 4, 2008). "Commissioner of Public Lands - County Results". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ "2008 General Data". sos.wa.gov. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024.