Washington has 48 contested state legislative primary elections in 2024. In elections from 2014 to 2022, the average number of contested state legislative primaries was 45.
There are 283 total candidates running for state legislature– including 227 running for the House and 56 running for the Senate. That is the lowest number of total candidates since 2014, when 266 candidates ran.
Among the candidates running for the House, 109 are affiliated with the Democratic Party and 102 are affiliated with the Republican Party. There are also 16 minor-party candidates running for seats in the House.
Among the candidates running for Senate, 30 are affiliated with the Democratic Party and 26 are affiliated with the Republican Party.
Washington uses a top-two primary system. This means all congressional and state-level primary candidates appear on the same ballot, and the top-two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation.
Twenty-four incumbents, or about 24.7% of all incumbents, face primary challengers in 2024. This is the lowest number of incumbents in contested primaries since 2014, when 17 incumbents faced primary challengers.
Twenty-six incumbents– including nine Democrats and 17 Republicans– are not seeking reelection in 2024. From 2010 to 2022, the average number of retirements was 19.7.
Washington has had a Democratic trifecta since 2018, after Democrats gained control of the State Senate in a 2017 special election. Since 1992, Washington has had 18 years of Democratic trifectas and no Republican trifectas.
As of May 2024, Democrats held a 58-40 majority in the 98-member State House and 29-20 majority in the 49-member State Senate.