2026 Washington Supreme Court election
| Elections in Washington (state) |
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The 2026 Washington Supreme Court election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect five members of the Washington Supreme Court.[1] There are three regular elections for the seats held by Justices Raquel Montoya-Lewis, Charles W. Johnson, and Debra Stephens. Justice Montoya-Lewis is not seeking re-election and Justice Johnson reached the mandatory retirement age making him ineligible to seek re-election.[2] In addition, there will be two special elections for appointed Justices Colleen Melody and Theo Angelis to finish the terms of Justices Mary Yu and Barbara Madsen respectively.[3]
The election will be held concurrently with the 2026 US midterm election, as well as elections to the US House of Representatives, Washington State Senate and House, and various county and local offices.[1] Primary elections will be held on August 4, 2026 using a top-two primary where all candidates are listed on the same ballot and the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election.[4][5]
It is notable that there will be two open seats on the court and an additional two justices up for election for the first time. Four new justices joining the court of nine in a two-year span is a high rate of turnover for the Washington Supreme Court.[6][7]
Position 1
[edit]In September of 2025, Justice Mary Yu, the first LGBTQ+ justice in Washington, announced she would retire in December triggering the special election to be held in November 2026.[8] In November of 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson announced he would appoint Colleen Melody to serve in Justice Yu's position. The election will be for a two-year term with the next regular election for this position scheduled for 2028.[9] Justice Melody has filed to run to retain the seat.[10]
Primary election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Scott Edwards, tax lawyer[11]
- Colleen Melody, incumbent justice[11]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Laura Christensen Colberg, family law attorney and pro tem commissioner for the Snohomish County superior court[12][13]
Withdrawn
[edit]- Anne Bremner, TV legal analyst[12][14]
Endorsements
[edit]Laura Christensen Colberg
- Political parties
- Washington State Republican Party (co-endorsement with Edwards)[a][15]
Scott Edwards
- Political parties
- Washington State Republican Party (co-endorsement with Colberg)[a][16]
Colleen Melody
- State officials
- Bob Ferguson, incumbent Governor of Washington (Democratic)[17]
- Nick Brown, incumbent Washington Attorney General (Democratic)[17]
- Jay Inslee, former Governor of Washington (2013–2025) (Democratic)[17]
- Judicial officials
- Debra L. Stephens, incumbent chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court[17]
- Charles W. Johnson, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Steven González, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Sheryl Gordon McCloud, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Raquel Montoya-Lewis, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Helen Whitener, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Sal Mungia, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Theo Angelis, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Newspapers
- Organizations
Results
[edit]
Melody
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Edwards
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Colberg
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Colleen Melody (incumbent) | 923,965 | 52.90 | |
| Nonpartisan | Scott Edwards | 513,394 | 29.39 | |
| Nonpartisan | Laura Christensen Colberg | 305,110 | 17.47 | |
| Write-in | 4,081 | 0.23 | ||
| Total votes | 1,746,550 | 100.00 | ||
Position 3
[edit]In January 2026, Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, the first Native American elected to a statewide office in Washington, announced she would not seek re-election to a second term. She will serve out the remainder of her term making this an open seat for the November election.[23]
Primary election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Jaime Hawk, King County superior court judge[24]
- David Stevens, Mason County superior court judge[25]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- J. Michael Diaz, Washington Court of Appeals Division I judge[23]
Endorsements
[edit]J. Michael Diaz
- State officials
- Nick Brown, incumbent Washington Attorney General (Democratic)[26]
- Jay Inslee, former Governor of Washington (2013–2025) (Democratic)[17]
- Christine Gregoire, former Governor of Washington (2005–2013) (Democratic)[17]
- Gary Locke, former Governor of Washington (1997–2005) (Democratic)[17]
- Judicial officials
- Steven González, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Sheryl Gordon McCloud, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Colleen Melody, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Raquel Montoya-Lewis, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[26]
- Sal Mungia, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Newspapers
- Organizations
- Planned Parenthood[20]
- Third Act (co-endorsement with Hawk)[21]
Jaime Hawk
- State officials
- Bob Ferguson, incumbent Governor of Washington (Democratic)[24]
- Judicial officials
- Helen Whitener, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[24]
- Mary Yu, former Washington Supreme Court justice (2014–2025)[24]
- Cecily Hazelrigg, incumbent Washington Court of Appeals Division I judge[24]
- Organizations
David Stevens
- Political parties
Results
[edit]
Stevens
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Hawk
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
Diaz
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | David Stevens | 612,267 | 35.19 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jaime Hawk | 578,979 | 33.27 | |
| Nonpartisan | J. Michael Diaz | 543,721 | 31.25 | |
| Write-in | 5,061 | 0.29 | ||
| Total votes | 1,740,028 | 100.00 | ||
Position 4
[edit]Justice Charles W. Johnson reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 and is therefore ineligible to seek re-election.[2]
Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Ian Birk, Washington Court of Appeals Division I judge[28]
- Sean O'Donnell, King County superior court judge[29]
Endorsements
[edit]Ian Birk
- State officials
- Patty Kuderer, incumbent Insurance Commissioner of Washington (Democratic)[17]
- Jay Inslee, former Governor of Washington (2013–2025) (Democratic)[17]
- Judicial officials
- Mary Yu, former Washington Supreme Court justice (2014–2025)[17]
- 4 current Washington Supreme Court justices[17]
- 1 former Washington Supreme Court justice[30]
- State legislators
- Jamie Pedersen, incumbent State Senate Majority Leader, state senator from the 43rd district (Democratic)[17]
- Emily Alvarado, incumbent state senator from the 34th district[30]
- Noel Frame, incumbent state senator from the 36th district[30]
- Rebecca Saldaña, incumbent state senator from the 37th district[30]
- Joe Fitzgibbon, incumbent state representative from the 34th district[30]
- Liz Berry, incumbent state representative from the 36th district[30]
- Shaun Scott, incumbent state representative from the 43rd district[30]
- Darya Farivar, incumbent state representative from the 46th district[30]
- Local officials
- Girmay Zahilay, incumbent King County Executive[17]
- Teresa Mosqueda, incumbent King County Council member from the 8th district[30]
- Joy Hollingsworth, incumbent Seattle City Council member from the 3rd district[30]
- Newspapers
- Organizations
Sean O'Donnell
- State officials
- Christine Gregoire, former Governor of Washington (2005–2013) (Democratic)[17]
- Judicial officials
- Helen Whitener, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[17]
- Local officials
- Joy Hollingsworth, incumbent Seattle City Council member from the 3rd district[30]
- Bob Kettle, incumbent Seattle City Council member from district 7[30]
- Tim Burgess, former interim Mayor of Seattle (2017–2017) and Seattle City Council member (2008–2017)[30]
- Bruce Harrell, former Mayor of Seattle (2022–2026)[30]
- Sally Bagshaw, former Seattle City Council member from district 7 (2010–2019)[30]
- Martha Choe, former Seattle City Council member (1992–1999)[30]
- Sara Nelson, former Seattle City Council member (2022–2026)[30]
- Mike O'Brien, former Seattle City Council member from district 6 (2010–2020)[30]
Position 5
[edit]In February of 2026, Justice Barbra Madsen, the first woman to become a justice in Washington via election, announced she would retire effective April 3rd triggering the special election to be held in November 2026.[26] In March, Governor Bob Ferguson announced he would appoint Theo Angelis to serve in Justice Madsen's position making him the first Washington justice of Middle Eastern descent. The election will be for a two-year term with the next regular election for this position scheduled for 2028.[9] Justice Angelis has declared he will run to retain the seat.[10]
Primary election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Theo Angelis, incumbent justice[31]
- Dave Larson, former Federal Way municipal court judge, candidate for justice in 2024, 2020, 2016, and 2000[32]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Sharonda Amamilo, Thurston County superior court judge[33]
- Greg Miller, health law appellate lawyer[12][34]
Endorsements
[edit]Sharonda Amamilo
Theo Angelis
- State officials
- Bob Ferguson, incumbent Governor of Washington (Democratic)[31]
- Denny Heck, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Washington (Democratic)[31]
- Christine Gregoire, former Governor of Washington (2005–2013) (Democratic)[31]
- Judicial officials
- Charles W. Johnson, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[31]
- Sal Mungia, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[31]
- Helen Whitener, incumbent Washington Supreme Court justice[31]
- 2 other Washington Supreme Court justices[17]
- State legislators
- Jamie Pedersen, incumbent State Senate Majority Leader, state senator from the 43rd district[31]
- 16 other state senators[b]
- Laurie Jinkins, incumbent Speaker of the House, state representative from the 27th district[31]
- 19 other state representatives[c]
- Local officials
- Girmay Zahilay, incumbent King County Executive[31]
- Rod Dembowski, incumbent King County Council member from the 1st district[31]
- Anders Ibsen, incumbent Mayor of Tacoma[31]
- Dontae Payne, incumbent Mayor of Olympia[31]
- Newspapers
- Organizations
Dave Larson
- Political parties
Results
[edit]
Angelis
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Larson
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Theo Angelis (incumbent) | 623,396 | 35.84 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dave Larson | 559,629 | 32.17 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharonda Amamilo | 371,059 | 21.33 | |
| Nonpartisan | Greg Miller | 181,542 | 10.44 | |
| Write-in | 3,799 | 0.22 | ||
| Total votes | 1,739,425 | 100.00 | ||
Position 7
[edit]Chief Justice Debra Stephens is running for re-election.[37]
Primary election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Todd Bloom, tax attorney, candidate for justice in 2024, and Republican candidate for Washington's 6th congressional district in 2022 and 2016[12][38]
- Debra Stephens, incumbent chief justice[39][37]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Karim Merchant, criminal defense attorney[12]
- David Shelvey, family law attorney and candidate for justice in 2024[40]
Endorsements
[edit]Todd Bloom
- Political parties
Debra Stephens
Results
[edit]
Stephens
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Bloom
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Debra Stephens (incumbent) | 938,584 | 54.37 | |
| Nonpartisan | Todd Bloom | 468,347 | 27.13 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karim Merchant | 207,603 | 12.03 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Shelvey | 107,635 | 6.24 | |
| Write-in | 3,998 | 0.23 | ||
| Total votes | 1,726,167 | 100.00 | ||
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Recommended candidate
- ↑
- Marcus Riccelli, incumbent state senator from the 3rd district[31]
- Bob Hasegawa, incumbent state senator from the 11th district[31]
- Adrian Cortes, incumbent state senator from the 18th district[31]
- Marko Liias, incumbent state senator from the 21st district[31]
- Jessica Bateman, incumbent state senator from the 22nd district[31]
- Drew Hansen, incumbent state senator from the 23rd district[31]
- Mike Chapman, incumbent state senator from the 24th district[31]
- Deb Krishnadasan, incumbent state senator from the 26th district[31]
- Claire Wilson, incumbent state senator from the 30th district[31]
- Tina Orwall, incumbent state senator from the 33rd district[31]
- June Robinson, incumbent state senator from the 38th district[31]
- Lisa Wellman, incumbent state senator from the 41st district[31]
- Sharon Shewmake, incumbent state senator from the 42nd district[31]
- John Lovick, incumbent state senator from the 44th district[31]
- Claudia Kauffman, incumbent state senator from the 47th district[31]
- Annette Cleveland, incumbent state senator from the 49th district[31]
- ↑
- Timm Ormsby, incumbent state representative from the 3rd district[31]
- Lisa Callan, incumbent state representative from the 5th district[31]
- Steve Bergquist, incumbent state representative from the 11th district[31]
- David Hackney, incumbent state representative from the 11th district[31]
- Lillian Ortiz-Self, incumbent state representative from the 21st district[31]
- Strom Peterson, incumbent state representative from the 21st district[31]
- Beth Doglio, incumbent state representative from the 22nd district[31]
- Lisa Parshley, incumbent state representative from the 22nd district[31]
- Greg Nance, incumbent state representative from the 23rd district[31]
- Mari Leavitt, incumbent state representative from the 28th district[31]
- Cindy Ryu, incumbent state representative from the 32nd district[31]
- Chipalo Street, incumbent state representative from the 37th district[31]
- Mary Fosse, incumbent state representative from the 38th district[31]
- Debra Lekanoff, incumbent state representative from the 40th district[31]
- Alex Ramel, incumbent state representative from the 40th district[31]
- Joe Timmons, incumbent state representative from the 42nd district[31]
- Gerry Pollet, incumbent state representative from the 46th district[31]
- Osman Salahuddin, incumbent state representative from the 48th district[31]
- Sharon Wylie, incumbent state representative from the 49th district[31]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Scheduled Races". voter.votewa.gov. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
- 1 2 Clarridge, Christine (March 4, 2026). "Five seats up for grabs on Washington Supreme Court". Axios. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- ↑ Goldstein-Street, Jake (March 9, 2026). "Seattle litigator appointed to Washington Supreme Court • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- ↑ Sharille (February 27, 2026). "The 2026 Midterms: Key Dates and Events • Bipartisan Policy Center". Bipartisan Policy Center. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Top Two Primary: FAQs for Candidates | WA Secretary of State". www.sos.wa.gov. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
- ↑ Goldstein-Street, Jake (February 2, 2026). "Another WA Supreme Court justice to retire • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
- ↑ Clarridge, Christine (March 4, 2026). "Five seats up for grabs on Washington Supreme Court". Axios. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
- ↑ Cornfield, Jerry (September 11, 2025). "Justice Mary Yu to step down from WA Supreme Court this year • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- 1 2 Cornfield, Jerry (November 24, 2025). "Gov. Bob Ferguson makes his pick for WA Supreme Court seat • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- 1 2 "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- 1 2 Graham, Nathalie (April 7, 2026). "The Washington State Supreme Court Races Are a BFD This Year". The Stranger.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Clouser, Tim (May 8, 2026). "Several candidates join WA Supreme Court races ahead of Friday's filing deadline". The Center Square. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ Goldstein-Street, Jake (May 11, 2026). "WA Supreme Court races shape up as income tax case looms • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Economou, Liz (June 25, 2026). "WAGOP Renders Additional Recommendations for WA State Supreme Court Races". Washington State Republican Party. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ Economou, Liz (July 13, 2026). "WAGOP Completes Official Recommendations of Candidates for the State Supreme by Recommending Scott Edwards". Washington State Republican Party. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Clouser, Tim (April 25, 2026). "Washington Supreme Court races could decide fate of controversial income tax". The Center Square. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Seattle Times endorsements, WA primary 2026: State Supreme Court, Position 1". The Seattle Times. July 12, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "The Stranger's 2026 Primary Election Endorsements". The Stranger. July 2, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Houser, Erik (July 8, 2026). "Planned Parenthood Advocate Organizations in Washington Announce Supreme Court Endorsements". Planned Parenthood Action (Press release).
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Midterm Spotlight: State Supreme Court Races". Third Act. July 9, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Hobbs, Steve (August 21, 2026). "Canvass of the Returns of the Primary Held on August 4, 2026" (PDF). Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 Goldstein-Street, Jake (January 27, 2026). "WA Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis won't seek reelection • Washington State Standard". Washington State Standard. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Staff, Lynnwood Times (April 8, 2026). "King County Superior Court Judge Jaime Hawk announces campaign for Washington State Supreme Court". Lynnwood Times. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ Rantz, Jason (February 19, 2026). "Open WA Supreme Court seat sparks conservative challenge". seattlered.com. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Goldstein-Street, Jake (February 2, 2026). "Another WA Supreme Court justice to retire". Washington State Standard. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ↑ "Seattle Times endorsements, WA primary 2026: State Supreme Court, Position 3". The Seattle Times. July 12, 2026.
- ↑ Staff, Lynnwood Times (February 5, 2026). "Judge Ian Birk to Run for State Supreme Court Justice". Lynnwood Times. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- ↑ "King County Judge Sean P. O'Donnell announces run for Washington Supreme Court - Lake Forest Park Today". National Today. February 6, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Sundberg, Amy (April 30, 2026). "Progressives and Dark-Money Backed Conservatives Vie for Control of Washington State Supreme Court". The Urbanist.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Staff, Lynnwood Times (March 23, 2026). "Theo Angelis launches WA State Supreme court campaign with strong statewide endorsements". Lynnwood Times. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- ↑ Square, Brett Davis | The Center (February 23, 2026). "Dave Larson coming out of retirement to again run for WA Supreme Court". The Center Square. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- ↑ Allen, Aaron (April 29, 2026). "Judge Sharonda Amamilo Brings Human-Centered Approach To State Supreme Court Race". The Seattle Medium. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Meet Gregory M. Miller". Carney Badley Spellman. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Seattle Times endorsements, WA primary 2026: State Supreme Court, Position 5". The Seattle Times. July 16, 2026.
- ↑ https://home.forwardparty.com/larson_dave
- 1 2 "State Supreme Court Races to Watch in 2026 | State Court Report". statecourtreport.org. February 10, 2026. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- ↑ Park, Julia (July 10, 2024). "Four candidates are vying to fill the open WA Supreme Court seat". Cascade PBS. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ "PRIMARY 2024 Candidate List". voter.votewa.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
- ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Seattle Times endorsements, WA primary 2026: State Supreme Court, Position 7". The Seattle Times. July 16, 2026.
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites for Washington Supreme Court
[edit]Position 1
Position 3
Position 4
Position 5
Position 7