2016 Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election
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November 8, 2016
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  Reykdal: 50–60% Jones: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2016 Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the superintendent of public instruction of Washington, concurrently with the 2016 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 Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn retired.[1] State Representative Chris Reykdal defeated educator Erin Jones to succeed Dorn.[2] While the race was officially non-partisan, both Reykdal and Jones identified as Democrats.[3]
Background
[edit]Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn, first elected in 2008 with 52% of the vote and re-elected in 2012 unopposed, retired.[1]
Primary election
[edit]Washington is one of two states that holds a top-two primary, meaning all candidates are listed on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, and the top two advance to the general election.
Candidates
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Erin Jones, educator[4]
- Chris Reykdal, state representative and former world history teacher[5]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]Declined
[edit]- Randy Dorn, incumbent state superintendent (2009–2017)[1]
Endorsements
[edit]Erin Jones
Newspapers
Results
[edit]
Jones
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
Reykdal
- 20–30%
- 40–50%
Higgins
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
Fleming
- 20–30%
Jones
- 30–40%
- 50–60%
Reykdal
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
Higgins
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Erin Jones | 295,330 | 25.76 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chris Reykdal | 240,194 | 20.95 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ron Higgins | 190,886 | 16.65 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robin Fleming | 154,991 | 13.52 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Spring | 97,702 | 8.52 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Patterson Blair | 64,064 | 5.59 | |
| Nonpartisan | KumRoon Maksirisombat | 43,491 | 3.79 | |
| Nonpartisan | Al Runte | 37,386 | 3.26 | |
| Nonpartisan | Grazyna Prouty | 22,265 | 1.94 | |
| Total votes | 1,146,309 | 100.00 | ||
| Elections in Washington (state) |
|---|
 |
General election
[edit]Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Chris Reykdal |
Erin Jones |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elway Poll[12] | October 20–22, 2016 | 502 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 17% | 18% | 65% |
| Elway Poll[13] | August 9–13, 2016 | 500 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 16% | 16% | 68% |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Chris Reykdal | 1,337,547 | 50.52 | |
| Nonpartisan | Erin Jones | 1,309,896 | 49.48 | |
| Total votes | 2,647,443 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
By county
[edit]| County[15] | Chris Reykdal
Democratic |
Erin Jones
Democratic |
Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,917 | 48.67% | 2,022 | 51.33% | -105 | -2.67% | 3,939 |
| Asotin | 3,867 | 48.69% | 4,075 | 51.31% | -208 | -2.62% | 7,942 |
| Benton | 36,390 | 53.75% | 31,308 | 46.25% | 5,082 | 7.51% | 67,698 |
| Chelan | 13,848 | 52.37% | 12,594 | 47.63% | 1,254 | 4.74% | 26,442 |
| Clallam | 16,182 | 51.54% | 15,213 | 48.46% | 969 | 3.09% | 31,395 |
| Clark | 79,782 | 49.52% | 81,315 | 50.48% | -1,533 | -0.95% | 161,097 |
| Columbia | 885 | 50.28% | 875 | 49.72% | 10 | 0.57% | 1,760 |
| Cowlitz | 18,964 | 51.02% | 18,209 | 48.98% | 755 | 2.03% | 37,173 |
| Douglas | 6,468 | 51.51% | 6,090 | 48.49% | 378 | 3.01% | 12,558 |
| Ferry | 1,507 | 53.46% | 1,312 | 46.54% | 195 | 6.92% | 2,819 |
| Franklin | 10,122 | 50.06% | 10,098 | 49.94% | 24 | 0.12% | 20,220 |
| Garfield | 522 | 52.78% | 467 | 47.22% | 55 | 5.56% | 989 |
| Grant | 12,101 | 51.44% | 11,423 | 48.56% | 678 | 2.88% | 23,524 |
| Grays Harbor | 12,407 | 52.50% | 11,225 | 47.50% | 1,182 | 5.00% | 23,632 |
| Island | 17,274 | 49.43% | 17,673 | 50.57% | -399 | -1.14% | 34,947 |
| Jefferson | 9,318 | 55.97% | 7,330 | 44.03% | 1,988 | 11.94% | 16,648 |
| King | 421,762 | 51.85% | 391,726 | 48.15% | 30,036 | 3.69% | 813,488 |
| Kitsap | 49,673 | 48.37% | 53,014 | 51.63% | -3,341 | -3.25% | 102,687 |
| Kittitas | 7,910 | 53.77% | 6,801 | 46.23% | 1,109 | 7.54% | 14,711 |
| Klickitat | 4,167 | 49.39% | 4,270 | 50.61% | -103 | -1.22% | 8,437 |
| Lewis | 14,797 | 52.50% | 13,389 | 47.50% | 1,408 | 5.00% | 28,186 |
| Lincoln | 2,530 | 54.75% | 2,091 | 45.25% | 439 | 9.50% | 4,621 |
| Mason | 11,937 | 52.26% | 10,904 | 47.74% | 1,033 | 4.52% | 22,841 |
| Okanogan | 7,118 | 51.06% | 6,822 | 48.94% | 296 | 2.12% | 13,940 |
| Pacific | 4,271 | 50.48% | 4,189 | 49.52% | 82 | 0.97% | 8,460 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,910 | 51.85% | 2,702 | 48.15% | 208 | 3.71% | 5,612 |
| Pierce | 137,025 | 47.59% | 150,877 | 52.41% | -13,852 | -4.81% | 287,902 |
| San Juan | 3,553 | 41.29% | 5,052 | 58.71% | -1,499 | -17.42% | 8,605 |
| Skagit | 23,290 | 51.44% | 21,988 | 48.56% | 1,302 | 2.88% | 45,278 |
| Skamania | 2,228 | 51.22% | 2,122 | 48.78% | 106 | 2.44% | 4,350 |
| Snohomish | 145,528 | 50.25% | 144,084 | 49.75% | 1,444 | 0.50% | 289,612 |
| Spokane | 92,086 | 48.16% | 99,125 | 51.84% | -7,039 | -3.68% | 191,211 |
| Stevens | 9,355 | 51.74% | 8,727 | 48.26% | 628 | 3.47% | 18,082 |
| Thurston | 67,964 | 59.75% | 45,776 | 40.25% | 22,188 | 19.51% | 113,740 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,059 | 57.90% | 770 | 42.10% | 289 | 15.80% | 1,829 |
| Walla Walla | 9,878 | 46.98% | 11,147 | 53.02% | -1,269 | -6.04% | 21,025 |
| Whatcom | 39,286 | 43.88% | 50,249 | 56.12% | -10,963 | -12.24% | 89,535 |
| Whitman | 7,288 | 50.92% | 7,025 | 49.08% | 263 | 1.84% | 14,313 |
| Yakima | 30,378 | 45.89% | 35,817 | 54.11% | -5,439 | -8.22% | 66,195 |
| Totals | 1,337,547 | 50.52% | 1,309,896 | 49.48% | 27,651 | 1.04% | 2,647,443 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "State schools chief Dorn won't run for third term in 2016". Seattle Times. October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ↑ https://www.chronline.com/stories/reykdal-will-be-states-next-superintendent-of-public-instruction,39677
- ↑ https://www.chronline.com/stories/lawmaker-teaching-coach-vie-for-state-superintendent-post,42989
- ↑ https://www.riseupforstudents.org/blog/erinjones-q-a
- ↑ https://www.heraldnet.com/news/rep-chris-reykdal-to-run-for-washington-schools-chief/
- 1 2 3 https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/education-and-training/2016-07-21/funding-testing-equality-hot-topics-in-crowded-state-superintendent-race
- 1 2 https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/education/article70657147.html
- ↑ https://nwasianweekly.com/2016/07/k-12-education-according-to-kumroon-maksirisombat/
- ↑ https://mynorthwest.com/dave-ross-blog/school-superintendent-candidate-proposes-14k-raise-for-washington-teachers/304553
- ↑ Editorial Board, The Seattle Times (July 12, 2016). "The Times recommends: Erin Jones for superintendent of public instruction". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ↑ Wyman, Kim (August 2, 2016). "Superintendent of Public Instruction". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ↑ Elway Poll
- ↑ Elway Poll
- ↑ "2016 General Data". sos.wa.gov. Archived from the original on March 15, 2025.
- ↑ Wyman, Kim (November 8, 2016). "Superintendent of Public Instruction - County Results". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites