Washington Supreme Court Elections

From Ballotpedia

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There are nine justices on the Washington Supreme Court. For more information about these elections, visit the Washington judicial elections page.

Judicial selection[edit]

See also: Judicial selection in Washington


The nine justices of the supreme court are selected through contested nonpartisan elections and must run for re-election when their terms expire. Supreme court judges serve for six years.[1]

Qualifications[edit]

To serve on the supreme court, a judge must be:

  • admitted to practice law in Washington; and
  • under the age of 75.[2]

Chief justice[edit]

The chief justice of the supreme court is selected through a peer vote and has a set term of four years.[3]

Vacancies[edit]

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement. The appointee serves until the next general election, at which point he or she may run to serve for the remainder of the predecessor's term.[4] If the resignation and subsequent appointment takes place after the filing period opens for that year's elections, the appointee must stand in the next year's election to remain on the bench.[5]

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

Elections[edit]

See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2030

Washington State Supreme Court Position 2


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Washington State Supreme Court Position 8


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Washington State Supreme Court Position 9


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2028

Washington State Supreme Court Position 1


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Washington State Supreme Court Position 5


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Washington State Supreme Court Position 6


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2026

Washington State Supreme Court Position 3


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Washington State Supreme Court Position 4


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Washington State Supreme Court Position 7

General election

The primary will occur on August 4, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 7

Incumbent Debra Stephens (Nonpartisan) is running in the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 7 on August 4, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Debra Stephens
Debra Stephens (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2024

Washington State Supreme Court Position 2

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2

Sal Mungia (Nonpartisan) defeated Dave Larson (Nonpartisan) in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sal Mungia
Sal Mungia (Nonpartisan)  Candidate Connection
 
50.1
 
1,644,253
Image of Dave Larson
Dave Larson (Nonpartisan)  Candidate Connection
 
49.4
 
1,624,309
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.5%
 
16,654

Total votes: 3,285,216
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2

Sal Mungia (Nonpartisan) and Dave Larson (Nonpartisan) defeated Todd Bloom (Nonpartisan) and David Shelvey (Nonpartisan) in the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sal Mungia
Sal Mungia (Nonpartisan)  Candidate Connection
 
43.4
 
762,797
Image of Dave Larson
Dave Larson (Nonpartisan)  Candidate Connection
 
36.4
 
640,116
Image of Todd Bloom
Todd Bloom (Nonpartisan)
 
16.3
 
286,298
Image of David Shelvey
David Shelvey (Nonpartisan)  Candidate Connection
 
3.4
 
59,676
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4%
 
7,347

Total votes: 1,756,234
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Washington State Supreme Court Position 8

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 8

Incumbent Steven Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 8 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Gonzalez
Steven Gonzalez (Nonpartisan)
 
97.6
 
2,564,372
  Other/Write-in votes
 
2.4%
 
61,866

Total votes: 2,626,238
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 6, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Steven Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 8 without appearing on the ballot.

Washington State Supreme Court Position 9

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 9

Incumbent Sheryl Gordon McCloud (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 9 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sheryl Gordon McCloud
Sheryl Gordon McCloud (Nonpartisan)
 
97.5
 
2,534,783
  Other/Write-in votes
 
2.5%
 
65,479

Total votes: 2,600,262
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 6, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Sheryl Gordon McCloud (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 9 without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2022

Washington State Supreme Court Position 1

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 1

Incumbent Mary Yu (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 1 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mary Yu
Mary Yu (Nonpartisan)
 
97.4
 
1,961,152
  Other/Write-in votes
 
2.6%
 
52,447

Total votes: 2,013,599
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 2, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Mary Yu (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 1 without appearing on the ballot.

Washington State Supreme Court Position 5

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 5

Incumbent Barbara A. Madsen (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 5 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Barbara A. Madsen
Barbara A. Madsen (Nonpartisan)
 
97.8
 
1,937,634
  Other/Write-in votes
 
2.2%
 
43,453

Total votes: 1,981,087
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 2, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Barbara A. Madsen (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 5 without appearing on the ballot.

Washington State Supreme Court Position 6

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 6

Incumbent G. Helen Whitener (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 6 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of G. Helen Whitener
G. Helen Whitener (Nonpartisan)
 
97.8
 
1,918,080
  Other/Write-in votes
 
2.2%
 
42,740

Total votes: 1,960,820
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 2, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent G. Helen Whitener (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 6 without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2020

Washington State Supreme Court Position 3

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 3

Incumbent Raquel Montoya-Lewis (Nonpartisan) defeated Dave Larson (Nonpartisan) in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 3 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Raquel Montoya-Lewis
Raquel Montoya-Lewis (Nonpartisan)
 
58.2
 
2,057,623
Image of Dave Larson
Dave Larson (Nonpartisan)
 
41.4
 
1,462,764
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4%
 
13,661

Total votes: 3,534,048
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 4, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent Raquel Montoya-Lewis (Nonpartisan) and Dave Larson (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 3 without appearing on the ballot.

Washington State Supreme Court Position 4

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 4

Incumbent Charles W. Johnson (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 4 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Charles W. Johnson
Charles W. Johnson (Nonpartisan)
 
97.7
 
2,850,924
  Other/Write-in votes
 
2.3%
 
66,407

Total votes: 2,917,331
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 4, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent Charles W. Johnson (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 4 without appearing on the ballot.

Washington State Supreme Court Position 6

General election

Special general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 6

Incumbent G. Helen Whitener (Nonpartisan) defeated Richard Serns (Nonpartisan) in the special general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 6 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of G. Helen Whitener
G. Helen Whitener (Nonpartisan)
 
66.1
 
2,263,513
Image of Richard Serns
Richard Serns (Nonpartisan)  Candidate Connection
 
33.3
 
1,140,338
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6%
 
19,416

Total votes: 3,423,267
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 4, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent G. Helen Whitener (Nonpartisan) and Richard Serns (Nonpartisan) advanced from the special primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 6 without appearing on the ballot.

Washington State Supreme Court Position 7

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 7

Incumbent Debra Stephens (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 7 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Debra Stephens
Debra Stephens (Nonpartisan)
 
97.9
 
2,852,879
  Other/Write-in votes
 
2.1%
 
60,808

Total votes: 2,913,687
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 4, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent Debra Stephens (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 7 without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Washington Supreme Court elections, 2018

Washington State Supreme Court Position 2

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2

Incumbent Susan Owens (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Susan Owens
Susan Owens (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
2,062,701

Total votes: 2,062,7010
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 7, 2018, was canceled. Incumbent Susan Owens (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 2 without appearing on the ballot.

Washington State Supreme Court Position 8

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 8

Incumbent Steven Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) defeated Nathan Choi (Nonpartisan) in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 8 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Gonzalez
Steven Gonzalez (Nonpartisan)  Candidate Connection
 
67.6
 
1,687,073
Image of Nathan Choi
Nathan Choi (Nonpartisan)
 
32.4
 
809,176

Total votes: 2,496,2490
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 7, 2018, was canceled. Incumbent Steven Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) and Nathan Choi (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 8 without appearing on the ballot.

Washington State Supreme Court Position 9

General election

General election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 9

Incumbent Sheryl Gordon McCloud (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Washington State Supreme Court Position 9 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sheryl Gordon McCloud
Sheryl Gordon McCloud (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
2,005,244

Total votes: 2,005,2440
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 7, 2018, was canceled. Incumbent Sheryl Gordon McCloud (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Washington State Supreme Court Position 9 without appearing on the ballot.

Previous election results


See also[edit]

Washington Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in Washington
Washington Court of Appeals
Washington Supreme Court
Elections: 2026202520242023202220212020201920182017
Gubernatorial appointments
Judicial selection in Washington
Federal courts
State courts
Local courts

External links[edit]

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Suggest a link

Footnotes[edit]

  1. National Center for State Courts, Methods of Judicial Selection: Washington," accessed April 16, 2025
  2. National Center for State Courts, Methods of Judicial Selection: Washington," accessed April 16, 2025
  3. National Center for State Courts, Methods of Judicial Selection: Washington," accessed April 16, 2025
  4. Washington State Legislature, "Washington State Constitution," accessed April 16, 2025 (Scroll to Article IV, Section 3)
  5. National Center for State Courts, Methods of Judicial Selection: Washington," accessed April 16, 2025
  6. Washington Secretary of State, "2008 General Election Results"
  7. Washington Secretary of State, "August 2008 Primary Results"
  8. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #2, State Supreme Court"
  9. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #1, State Supreme Court"
  10. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #4, State Supreme Court"
  11. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #6, State Supreme Court"
  12. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #7, State Supreme Court"
  13. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #3, State Supreme Court"
  14. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #4, State Supreme Court"
  15. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #2, State Supreme Court"
  16. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #7, State Supreme Court"
  17. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #6, State Supreme Court"
  18. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #1, State Supreme Court"
  19. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #2, State Supreme Court"
  20. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #2, State Supreme Court"
  21. Washington Secretary of State, "Past Election Results: Position #3, State Supreme Court"



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