The 2014 Washington State Senate elections is one of the biennial legislative elections in Washington that took place on November 4, 2014. In this election, about half of the 49 legislative districts in Washington chose a state senator for a four-year term to the Washington State Senate. 24 seats were regularly scheduled to be up this cycle, along with 1 additional seat holding a special election to fill an unexpired term: the 28th district, held by appointed Senator Steve O'Ban, whose former incumbent Mike Carrell vacated the seat. Republicans had flipped another seat in a 2013 special election, giving them 24 seats heading into the 2014 elections, with two Democrats caucusing with them to provide them a majority.
A top two primary election on August 5, 2014, determined which candidates appear on the November ballot. Candidates were allowed to declare a party preference.[1]
Republicans won the 30th district after Mark Miloscia switched parties and won re-election as a Republican. Democrats flipped the 48th district from a Democrat who caucused with the Republicans, Rodney Tom. While this kept the state senate at 26-23 in favor of the Majority Coalition Caucus, only one Democrat remained in the coalition.
Overview
Composition
| Elections
|
Seats
|
|
|
Democratic Incumbent and Uncontested
|
2
|
|
|
Democratic Incumbent vs. Democrat
|
1
|
|
|
Democratic Incumbent vs. Republican
|
7
|
|
|
Democratic Incumbent (caucusing with Republicans) vs. Democrat[d]
|
1
|
|
|
Republican Incumbent vs. Democrat
|
8
|
|
|
Republican Incumbent vs. Republican
|
2
|
|
|
Contested, Open Seats[e]
|
4
|
Total
|
25
|
Predictions
| Source
|
Ranking
|
As of
|
| Governing[2]
|
Lean R
|
October 20, 2014
|
Select primary results
District 32
Washington's 32nd legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Maralyn Chase (inc.)
|
11,507
|
51.24
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Chris Eggen
|
5,343
|
23.79
|
|
|
Republican
|
Robert Reedy
|
5,606
|
24.96
|
| Total votes
|
|
100
|
District 35
Washington's 35th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Majority Coalition Caucus
|
Tim Sheldon (inc.)[f]
|
9,706
|
33.3
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Irene Bowling
|
10,321
|
35.42
|
|
|
Republican
|
Travis Couture
|
9,116
|
31.28
|
| Total votes
|
|
100
|
District 37
General election results
Results as reported by the Secretary of State:[3]
District 6
District 7
District 8
Washington's 8th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
Sharon Brown (inc.)
|
30,552
|
74.15
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Doug McKinley
|
10,649
|
25.85
|
| Total votes
|
41,201
|
100
|
|
|
Republican hold
|
District 13
Washington's 13th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
Judith (Judy) Warnick
|
30,751
|
86.33
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Mohammad Said
|
4,868
|
13.67
|
| Total votes
|
35,619
|
100
|
|
|
Republican hold
|
District 15
Washington's 15th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
Jim Honeyford (inc.)[g]
|
16,794
|
72.76
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Gabriel Munoz
|
6,288
|
27.24
|
| Total votes
|
23,082
|
100
|
|
|
Republican hold
|
District 21
District 26
Washington's 26th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
Jan Angel (Inc.)
|
29,077
|
58.75
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Judy Arbogast
|
20,414
|
41.25
|
| Total votes
|
49,491
|
100
|
|
|
Republican hold
|
District 28
Washington's 28th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
Steve O'Ban (Inc.)
|
20,945
|
54.48
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Tami Green
|
17,503
|
45.52
|
| Total votes
|
38,448
|
100
|
|
|
Republican hold
|
District 29
Washington's 29th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Steve Conway (inc.)
|
13,071
|
58.49
|
|
|
Republican
|
Terry Harder
|
9,277
|
41.51
|
| Total votes
|
22,348
|
100
|
|
|
Democratic hold
|
District 30
District 31
Washington's 31st legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Republican
|
Pam Roach (inc.)
|
21,226
|
53.67
|
|
|
Republican
|
Cathy Dahlquist
|
18,324
|
46.33
|
| Total votes
|
39,550
|
100
|
|
|
Republican hold
|
District 32
Washington's 32nd legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Maralyn Chase (inc.)
|
29,560
|
71.36
|
|
|
Republican
|
Robert Reedy
|
11,863
|
28.64
|
| Total votes
|
41,423
|
100
|
|
|
Democratic hold
|
District 33
District 34
Washington's 34th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Sharon Nelson (inc.)
|
34,436
|
100
|
| Total votes
|
34,436
|
100
|
|
|
Democratic hold
|
District 35
Washington's 35th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Majority Coalition Caucus
|
Tim Sheldon (inc.)[f]
|
24,317
|
54.41
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Irene Bowling
|
20,375
|
45.59
|
| Total votes
|
44,692
|
100
|
|
|
Majority Coalition Caucus hold
|
District 36
Washington's 36th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Jeanne Kohl-Welles (inc.)
|
47,025
|
84.19
|
|
|
Republican
|
Sarina Forbes
|
8,830
|
15.81
|
| Total votes
|
55,855
|
100
|
|
|
Democratic hold
|
District 37
District 38
Washington's 38th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
John McCoy (inc.)
|
19,414
|
61.88
|
|
|
Republican
|
Craig French
|
11,960
|
38.12
|
| Total votes
|
31,374
|
100
|
|
|
Democratic hold
|
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
Washington's 48th legislative district election, 2014
| Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Democratic
|
Cyrus Habib[i]
|
24,833
|
64.87
|
|
|
Republican
|
Michelle Darnell
|
13,446
|
35.13
|
| Total votes
|
38,279
|
100
|
|
|
Democratic gain from Majority Coalition Caucus
|
Notes
- ^ a b Democrats Tim Sheldon and Rodney Tom caucused with all 23 Republicans to form the Majority Coalition Caucus back in 2012.
- ^ Republicans had won 23 seats during the 2012 election.
- ^ Republicans won 25 seats in 2014. Democrat Tim Sheldon caucused with the Republcians.
- ^ a b Self-identified Democrat Tim Sheldon, who caucuses with the Republicans
- ^ Including open seats with two candidates of the same party competing in the general election.
- ^ a b Though he self-identifies as a Democrat, Senator Sheldon has caucused with the Republicans in the "Majority Coalition Caucus" since 10 December 2012 and has been disowned by Democratic organizations throughout the state and in his own district.
- ^ a b Prefers G.O.P. Party
- ^ Formerly Democrat, switched parties in 2014
- ^ The previous state senator, Rodney Tom, self-identifies as a Democrat and was elected as such in 2006 and again in 2010. However, he began his career as a Republican in the state house before 2006, and has been functionally independent since 10 December 2012 when he (with fellow Democrat Tim Sheldon caucused with the Republicans in the "Majority Coalition Caucus"; Tom was thereafter disowned by Democratic organizations throughout the state and in his own district. For all practical purposes, he was a political independent, so Habib's election amounted to a Democratic gain over an independent.
References