The 2020 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the

lieutenant governor of Washington The lieutenant governor of Washington is an elected office in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The incumbent is Denny Heck, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who began his term in January 2021. The lieutenant governor s ...

concurrently with the 2020 Washington elections. The

top-two primary A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of the political party. Partisan elections are, on the other hand, segregated by political party ...

was held on August 4, and Democrats Denny Heck and Marko Liias advanced to the general election, which Heck won. Incumbent

Cyrus Habib Kamyar Cyrus Habib, (born August 22, 1981) is an American Jesuit, politician, lawyer, and educator who served as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Washington from 2017 to 2021. As of the time of his departure from office, he was the first and only ...

surprised the state by announcing he was foregoing a run for re-election in order to join the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

. The position was of special importance due to speculation that the incumbent Governor,

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...

could have been appointed to a position in a Democratic Presidential Cabinet after winning his third term.

Background

Habib's retirement came after Gov. Inslee dropped out of the presidential election which caused many potential statewide candidates in Washington to change their plans and drop exploratory bids. At the time of Habib's announcement former

Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-lar ...

candidate Ann Davison Sattler and former US House candidate Joseph Brumbles had already been running as Republicans. The day of his retirement State Senator Steve Hobbs announced his 2nd campaign for the office of Lieutenant Governor, after losing in the 2016 Primary to then-State Senator Habib.

Nonpartisan blanket primary

Democratic Party candidates

Declared

Denny Heck Dennis Lynn Heck (born July 29, 1952) is an American entrepreneur and politician serving as the 17th lieutenant governor of Washington. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 10th con ...

, U.S. Representative for

Washington's 10th congressional district Washington's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in western Washington. The district is centered on the state capital, Olympia, and includes portions of Thurston and Pierce counties (including parts of Tacoma). It was crea ...

Marko Liias Marko Sakari Liias (born July 17, 1981) is an American politician serving as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 21st district since 2014. The district, located entirely within Snohomish County, includes portions of Lynnwoo ...

, State Senator from

Washington's 21st legislative district Washington's 21st legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington state for representation in the state legislature. The district is in southwest Snohomish County, including all or part of Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Mukilteo. This ...

and candidate for

Washington State Treasurer The Washington State Treasurer is an elected official in the US state of Washington whose office is established by the Washington State Constitution. Mike Pellicciotti is the current Washington State Treasurer, a Democrat who began his term in J ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Withdrew

* Steve Hobbs, State Senator from

Washington's 44th legislative district Washington's 44th legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington state for representation in the state legislature. The district covers a large area mostly east of Everett, including the cities of Maltby, Mill Creek and Snoho ...

Declined

* Lisa Brown, Washington Secretary of Commerce, former Congressional Candidate, and former State Senate Majority Leader *

Dow Constantine James Dow Constantine (born November 15, 1961) is an American politician, lawyer, and urban planner in the state of Washington who is serving his third term as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was in the stat ...

King County Executive The King County Executive is the highest elected official representing the government of King County, Washington. The post was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. Previously the powers o ...

, incumbent Lieutenant Governor

Endorsements

Republican Party candidates

* Joseph Brumbles, former Congressional candidate * Ann Davison Sattler, former

candidate, former staffer for

John Paul Hammerschmidt John Paul Hammerschmidt (May 4, 1922 – April 1, 2015) was an American politician from the state of Arkansas. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Hammerschmidt served thirteen terms in the United States House of Representatives ...

* Marty McClendon, Perennial Candidate *

Dick Muri Richard Walter Muri (born November 30, 1953) is an American politician. He is the appointed Mayor of the Town of Steilacoom after longtime Mayor Ron Lucas stepped down for health reasons in March 2021, before passing away just weeks later. He is ...

, former State Representative from

Washington's 28th legislative district Washington's 28th legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington state for representation in the state legislature. It is in Pierce County, and contains a bit of Tacoma, and the cities of Fircrest, University Place, Lakew ...

Minor party candidates

Declared

* Jared Frerichs (Libertarian), former Candidate for Walla Walla County Commission, Consultant *Mark Greene (Revived Citizens Party), Perennial Candidate

Polling

Results

took place on August 4. All candidates are listed on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation and the top two advanced to the general election in November.

General election

After being eliminated in the August 4th gubernatorial primary, Joshua Freed announced that he would be running for lieutenant governor as a write-in candidate. A debate between Heck and Liias was held on October 22.

Polling

Results

By congressional district

Heck won 9 of 10 congressional districts.

Notes

References

External links

;Official campaign websites
Denny Heck (D) for Lieutenant Governor

Marko Liias (D) for Lieutenant Governor

Joshua Freed (R) for Lieutenant Governor
{{Washington elections

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

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