2020 Washington Attorney General election
November 3, 2020
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Ferguson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Larkin: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Washington (state) |
|---|
The 2020 Washington Attorney General election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the attorney general of Washington, concurrently with the 2020 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. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson was re-elected to a third term in office.[1]
Background
Ferguson was first elected in 2012 against Republican King County Councilor Reagan Dunn, winning 53% of the vote to succeed Republican Rob McKenna.[2] He was re-elected over Libertarian Joshua Trumbull in 2016 with 67% of the vote and was expected to easily win a third term.[3][4]
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.
Democratic Party
Advanced to general
- Bob Ferguson, incumbent attorney general (2013–2025)[5]
Declined
- Manka Dhingra, state senator[6]
- Lorena González, Seattle City Councilor (endorsed Ferguson)[5]
- Drew Hansen, state representative[5]
- Noah Purcell, solicitor general of Washington[5]
Republican Party
Advanced to general
- Matt Larkin, manufacturing executive and former Pierce County deputy prosecuting attorney[7]
Eliminated in primary
- Brett Rogers, attorney[8]
- Mike Vaska, attorney and leader of Mainstream Republicans of Washington (2017–2020)[9]
Primary election
Endorsements
Bob Ferguson (D)
Local officials
Mike Vaska (R)
Statewide officials
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Bob Ferguson (D) |
Matt Larkin (R) |
Brett Rogers (R) |
Mike Vaska (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[11] | July 22–27, 2020 | 513 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 52% | 13% | 7% | 5% | 22% |
| SurveyUSA[12] | May 16–19, 2020 | 650 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 47% | 8% | 8% | 4% | 32% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Ferguson (incumbent) | 1,356,225 | 55.79% | |
| Republican | Matt Larkin | 575,470 | 23.67% | |
| Republican | Brett Rogers | 296,843 | 12.21% | |
| Republican | Mike Vaska | 199,826 | 8.22% | |
| Write-in | 2,372 | 0.10% | ||
| Total votes | 2,430,736 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[4] | Safe D | June 25, 2020 |
Post-primary endorsements
Bob Ferguson (D)
Newspapers
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Bob Ferguson (D) |
Matt Larkin (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D)[15][A] | October 14–15, 2020 | 610 (LV) | ± 4% | 53% | 39% | 8% |
| SurveyUSA[16] | October 8–10, 2020 | 591 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 49% | 38% | 13% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Ferguson (incumbent) | 2,226,418 | 56.43% | ||
| Republican | Matt Larkin | 1,714,927 | 43.47% | ||
| Write-in | 3,968 | 0.10% | |||
| Total votes | 3,945,313 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
| County[18] | Bob Ferguson
Democratic |
Matt Larkin
Republican |
Write-in
Various |
Margin | Total votes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,772 | 31.34% | 3,876 | 68.54% | 7 | 0.12% | -2,104 | -37.21% | 5,655 |
| Asotin | 4,182 | 36.52% | 7,255 | 63.35% | 15 | 0.13% | -3,073 | -26.83% | 11,452 |
| Benton | 37,124 | 37.32% | 62,257 | 62.58% | 107 | 0.11% | -25,133 | -25.26% | 99,488 |
| Chelan | 17,943 | 42.90% | 23,839 | 56.99% | 48 | 0.11% | -5,896 | -14.10% | 41,830 |
| Clallam | 23,696 | 49.66% | 23,979 | 50.25% | 41 | 0.09% | -283 | -0.59% | 47,716 |
| Clark | 132,248 | 50.53% | 129,184 | 49.36% | 290 | 0.11% | 3,064 | 1.17% | 261,722 |
| Columbia | 656 | 27.37% | 1,740 | 72.59% | 1 | 0.04% | -1,084 | -45.22% | 2,397 |
| Cowlitz | 23,346 | 40.32% | 34,505 | 59.60% | 44 | 0.08% | -11,159 | -19.27% | 57,895 |
| Douglas | 7,386 | 35.85% | 13,193 | 64.03% | 25 | 0.12% | -5,807 | -28.18% | 20,604 |
| Ferry | 1,440 | 34.26% | 2,751 | 65.45% | 12 | 0.29% | -1,311 | -31.19% | 4,203 |
| Franklin | 12,964 | 40.97% | 18,650 | 58.94% | 30 | 0.09% | -5,686 | -17.97% | 31,644 |
| Garfield | 369 | 26.19% | 1,039 | 73.74% | 1 | 0.07% | -670 | -47.55% | 1,409 |
| Grant | 11,463 | 31.50% | 24,885 | 68.37% | 48 | 0.13% | -13,422 | -36.88% | 36,396 |
| Grays Harbor | 16,983 | 45.57% | 20,238 | 54.31% | 46 | 0.12% | -3,255 | -8.73% | 37,267 |
| Island | 27,139 | 51.95% | 25,053 | 47.96% | 44 | 0.08% | 2,086 | 3.99% | 52,236 |
| Jefferson | 16,561 | 68.34% | 7,658 | 31.60% | 14 | 0.06% | 8,903 | 36.74% | 24,233 |
| King | 844,858 | 72.37% | 321,559 | 27.55% | 930 | 0.08% | 523,299 | 44.83% | 1,167,347 |
| Kitsap | 85,262 | 55.50% | 68,176 | 44.38% | 177 | 0.12% | 17,086 | 11.12% | 153,615 |
| Kittitas | 10,689 | 42.03% | 14,719 | 57.88% | 24 | 0.09% | -4,030 | -15.85% | 25,432 |
| Klickitat | 5,750 | 43.95% | 7,312 | 55.89% | 21 | 0.16% | -1,562 | -11.94% | 13,083 |
| Lewis | 14,022 | 31.80% | 30,010 | 68.05% | 65 | 0.15% | -15,988 | -36.26% | 44,097 |
| Lincoln | 1,654 | 24.15% | 5,188 | 75.76% | 6 | 0.09% | -3,534 | -51.61% | 6,848 |
| Mason | 16,402 | 45.34% | 19,721 | 54.51% | 55 | 0.15% | -3,319 | -9.17% | 36,178 |
| Okanogan | 8,625 | 41.91% | 11,919 | 57.92% | 34 | 0.17% | -3,294 | -16.01% | 20,578 |
| Pacific | 6,570 | 48.17% | 7,042 | 51.63% | 27 | 0.20% | -472 | -3.46% | 13,639 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,659 | 32.18% | 5,593 | 67.68% | 12 | 0.15% | -2,934 | -35.50% | 8,264 |
| Pierce | 233,651 | 52.05% | 214,768 | 47.84% | 502 | 0.11% | 18,883 | 4.21% | 448,921 |
| San Juan | 9,276 | 72.60% | 3,492 | 27.33% | 8 | 0.06% | 5,784 | 45.27% | 12,776 |
| Skagit | 35,159 | 50.05% | 35,006 | 49.83% | 88 | 0.13% | 153 | 0.22% | 70,253 |
| Skamania | 3,112 | 44.10% | 3,929 | 55.68% | 15 | 0.21% | -817 | -11.58% | 7,056 |
| Snohomish | 236,332 | 55.53% | 188,921 | 44.39% | 375 | 0.09% | 47,411 | 11.14% | 425,628 |
| Spokane | 131,171 | 46.20% | 152,388 | 53.67% | 378 | 0.13% | -21,217 | -7.47% | 283,937 |
| Stevens | 7,642 | 27.70% | 19,902 | 72.15% | 41 | 0.15% | -12,260 | -44.44% | 27,585 |
| Thurston | 91,643 | 56.25% | 71,053 | 43.61% | 217 | 0.13% | 20,590 | 12.64% | 162,913 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,124 | 39.52% | 1,717 | 60.37% | 3 | 0.11% | -593 | -20.85% | 2,844 |
| Walla Walla | 13,270 | 43.79% | 17,005 | 56.12% | 28 | 0.09% | -3,735 | -12.33% | 30,303 |
| Whatcom | 79,975 | 59.42% | 54,518 | 40.51% | 89 | 0.07% | 25,457 | 18.92% | 134,582 |
| Whitman | 10,703 | 52.63% | 9,613 | 47.27% | 21 | 0.10% | 1,090 | 5.36% | 20,337 |
| Yakima | 41,597 | 44.75% | 51,274 | 55.16% | 79 | 0.08% | -9,677 | -10.41% | 92,950 |
| Totals | 2,226,418 | 56.43% | 1,714,927 | 43.47% | 3,968 | 0.10% | 511,491 | 12.96% | 3,945,313 |
By congressional district
Ferguson won six of ten congressional districts, with the remaining four going to Larkin, including one that elected a Democrat.[19]
| District | Ferguson | Larkin | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 55% | 45% | Suzan DelBene |
| 2nd | 60% | 40% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 46% | 54% | Jaime Herrera Beutler |
| 4th | 39% | 61% | Dan Newhouse |
| 5th | 44% | 56% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 56% | 44% | Derek Kilmer |
| 7th | 83% | 17% | Pramila Jayapal |
| 8th | 49% | 51% | Kim Schrier |
| 9th | 71% | 29% | Adam Smith |
| 10th | 54% | 45% | Denny Heck (116th Congress) |
| Marilyn Strickland (117th Congress) |
Notes
Partisan clients
- ^ Poll sponsored by the Northwest Progressive Institute
References
- ^ Anne Long, Katherine (November 3, 2020). "Bob Ferguson defeats Matt Larkin in Washington state attorney general election results". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Young, Bob (November 6, 2012). "Ferguson pulls in strong support over Dunn". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Young, Bob (November 8, 2016). "Bob Ferguson easily keeps Washington attorney general post". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "An Updated Look at Handicapping the 2020 Attorney General Elections". The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Gutman, David (August 22, 2019). "With Inslee running again for governor, leading Washington state Democrats put their ambitions on hold". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Joseph; Gutman, David (August 22, 2019). "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to seek reelection, hours after dropping presidential bid". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ https://www.kentreporter.com/northwest/woodinville-republican-to-run-for-state-attorney-general/
- ^ Cornfield, Jerry (October 9, 2019). "A boring election for state seats in 2020? Try nine of them". The Everett Herald. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ Brunner, Jim (March 25, 2020). "Attorney and 'Mainstream Republicans' leader Mike Vaska to run against Attorney General Bob Ferguson". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jul/02/three-republicans-vie-for-chance-at-ferguson/
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ Wyman, Kim (August 21, 2020). "Canvass of the Returns of the Primary Held on August 4, 2020" (PDF). Secretary of State of Washington. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
- ^ Editorial Board, The Seattle Times (September 25, 2020). "The Times recommends: Bob Ferguson for state attorney general". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2025. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ^ Public Policy Polling (D)
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ Wyman, Kim (December 1, 2020). "Canvass of the Returns of the General Election Held on November 3, 2020" (PDF). Secretary of State of Washington. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 29, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
- ^ Wyman, Kim (November 3, 2020). "Attorney General - County Results". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on February 28, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "2020Gen Results by Congressional District" (PDF). sos.wa.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 22, 2024.
External links
Official campaign websites