The 2012 Washington State Auditor election was held on November 6, 2012, to elect the Washington State Auditor, concurrently with the 2012 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. Washington is one of two states that holds a top-two primary, meaning that all candidates are listed on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, and the top two move on to the general election.

Five-term incumbent Democratic State Auditor Brian Sonntag retired.https://www.heraldnet.com/news/state-auditor-brian-sonntag-to-end-long-political-career/ Democratic state Representative Troy Kelley defeated Republican James Watkins to succeed Sonntag.https://www.heraldnet.com/news/watkins-concedes-in-state-auditor-race/

The top-two primary was held on August 7.

Primary election

Democratic Party

Advanced to general Troy Kelley, state representative (2007–2013)https://patch.com/washington/universityplace/election-troy-kelley-to-run-for-state-auditor

Eliminated in primary Mark Miloscia, state representative (1999–2013)https://www.federalwaymirror.com/news/state-rep-miloscia-enters-race-for-washington-state-auditor/ Craig Pridemore, state senator (2005–2013)https://www.columbian.com/news/2011/nov/02/pridemore-run-state-auditors-post/

Declined Brian Sonntag, incumbent state auditor (1993–2013)

Republican Party

Advanced to general James Watkins, business consultant and candidate for Washington's 1st congressional district in 2010https://nwdailymarker.com/2012/03/james-watkins-enters-race-for-state-auditor-promises-to-be-citizens-watchdog-in-olympia/

Endorsements

Results

By county +CountyTroy Kelley DemocraticJames Watkins RepublicanCraig Pridemore DemocraticMark Miloscia DemocraticMarginTotal votes#%#%#%#%#%Adams40716.95%1,73772.34%1676.96%903.75%1,33055.39%2,401Asotin1,02122.46%2,64358.15%57812.72%3036.67%1,62235.69%4,545Benton4,45815.21%19,75367.40%3,48011.88%1,6145.51%15,29552.19%29,305Chelan2,71917.53%10,08365.02%1,92612.42%7805.03%7,36447.49%15,508Clallam3,70020.37%9,92754.66%3,08516.99%1,4517.99%6,22734.28%18,163Clark6,89010.31%32,66848.89%24,13336.12%3,1244.68%8,53512.77%66,815Columbia14113.70%72270.17%10310.01%636.12%58156.46%1,029Cowlitz4,08623.25%8,58748.86%3,55720.24%1,3447.65%4,50125.61%17,574Douglas1,21117.29%4,71767.35%71710.24%3595.13%3,50650.06%7,004Ferry29818.72%99662.56%19612.31%1026.41%69843.84%1,592Franklin1,41116.18%5,98868.65%89110.21%4334.96%4,57752.47%8,723Garfield9216.43%40071.43%386.79%305.36%30855.00%560Grant2,05217.44%7,91867.30%1,18210.05%6135.21%5,86649.86%11,765Grays Harbor3,56727.18%5,87344.76%2,47218.84%1,2109.22%2,30617.57%13,122Island4,59821.99%10,89452.10%3,91418.72%1,5057.20%6,29630.11%20,911Jefferson2,37922.81%4,06839.00%3,11929.90%8648.28%9499.10%10,430King96,00025.34%127,16033.57%108,02828.52%47,59712.57%19,1325.05%378,785Kitsap14,21525.54%26,11446.92%10,03618.03%5,2939.51%11,89921.38%55,658Kittitas1,42118.69%4,58360.26%1,13614.94%4656.11%3,16241.58%7,605Klickitat66917.48%2,20557.60%69718.21%2576.71%1,50839.39%3,828Lewis2,31315.61%9,61164.87%2,04213.78%8495.73%7,29849.26%14,815Lincoln44014.95%2,10071.36%2729.24%1314.45%1,66056.41%2,943Mason3,28623.41%6,96949.65%2,47317.62%1,3099.33%3,68326.24%14,037Okanogan1,45218.62%4,73060.65%1,19515.32%4225.41%3,27842.03%7,799Pacific1,32823.63%2,56945.72%1,26022.42%4628.22%1,24122.09%5,619Pend Oreille65720.19%1,94959.90%42813.15%2206.76%1,29239.70%3,254Pierce41,52129.94%63,19645.57%17,12412.35%16,82612.13%21,67515.63%138,667San Juan91019.24%1,91040.38%1,51632.05%3948.33%3948.33%4,730Skagit5,56822.38%12,90951.90%4,40617.71%1,9928.01%7,34129.51%24,875Skamania39418.42%1,12052.36%48922.86%1366.36%63129.50%2,139Snohomish32,16024.81%58,75945.32%24,78919.12%13,94110.75%26,59920.52%129,649Spokane19,13720.69%51,86856.08%14,33615.50%7,1547.73%32,73135.39%92,495Stevens1,58615.69%6,75766.83%1,18411.71%5835.77%5,17151.15%10,110Thurston11,87722.61%22,66843.15%12,77324.31%5,2209.94%9,89518.83%52,538Wahkiakum26923.31%58750.87%20517.76%938.06%31827.56%1,154Walla Walla1,80915.55%7,39763.56%1,62613.97%8056.92%5,58848.02%11,637Whatcom8,15020.23%20,22050.19%8,42720.92%3,4908.66%11,79329.27%40,287Whitman1,16417.45%3,91258.65%96914.53%6259.37%2,74841.20%6,670Yakima5,97920.48%18,17762.26%3,25111.14%1,7876.12%12,19841.78%29,194Totals291,33522.98%584,44446.09%268,22021.15%123,9369.77%293,10923.12%1,267,935

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Asotin (largest city: Clarkston) Chelan (largest city: Wenatchee) Clallam (largest city: Port Angeles) Douglas (largest city: East Wenatchee) Island (largest city: Oak Harbor) Kittitas (largest city: Ellensburg) Klickitat (largest city: Goldendale) Lewis (largest city: Centralia) Okanogan (largest city: Omak) Pend Oreille (largest city: Newport) Skagit (largest city: Mount Vernon) Skamania (largest city: Carson) Spokane (largest city: Spokane) Wahkiakum (largest city: Puget Island) Walla Walla (largest city: Walla Walla) Whatcom (largest city: Bellingham) Whitman (largest city: Pullman) Yakima (largest city: Yakima)

By congressional district District Kelley Watkins Pridemore Miloscia Representative 23% 50% 18% 9%Suzan DelBene 24% 44% 21% 10%Rick Larsen 14% 51% 29% 6%Jaime Herrera Beutler 18% 66% 11% 6%Doc Hastings 20% 58% 15% 7%Cathy McMorris Rodgers 26% 45% 18% 10%Norm Dicks 26% 23% 40% 11%Jim McDermott 22% 54% 14% 11%Dave Reichert 26% 34% 23% 16%Adam Smith 28% 44% 17% 11%Denny Heck

General election

Post-primary endorsements

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin TroyKelley (D) JamesWatkins (R) UndecidedElway ResearchElway ResearchOctober 18–21, 2012451 (RV)± 4.5%34%29%37%Elway ResearchElway ResearchSeptember 9–12, 2012405 (RV)± 5.0%36%27%38%

Results

By county +CountyTroy Kelley DemocraticJames Watkins RepublicanMarginTotal votes#%#%#%Adams1,34830.47%3,07669.53%-1,728-39.06%4,424Asotin3,77141.07%5,41158.93%-1,640-17.86%9,182Benton24,98934.20%48,08365.80%-23,094-31.60%73,072Chelan11,01637.36%18,47162.64%-7,455-25.28%29,487Clallam16,21646.21%18,87553.79%-2,659-7.58%35,091Clark82,40546.85%93,48153.15%-11,076-6.30%175,886Columbia57728.33%1,46071.67%-883-43.35%2,037Cowlitz20,78750.36%20,48649.64%3010.73%41,273Douglas4,58633.19%9,23366.81%-4,647-33.63%13,819Ferry1,22138.66%1,93761.34%-716-22.67%3,158Franklin7,73736.13%13,68063.87%-5,943-27.75%21,417Garfield33629.12%81870.88%-482-41.77%1,154Grant8,37732.52%17,38067.48%-9,003-34.95%25,757Grays Harbor14,38154.01%12,24545.99%2,1368.02%26,626Island18,70848.37%19,96751.63%-1,259-3.26%38,675Jefferson11,26361.63%7,01338.37%4,25023.25%18,276King558,93064.58%306,55335.42%252,37729.16%865,483Kitsap58,39051.05%55,98948.95%2,4012.10%114,379Kittitas6,76541.36%9,59058.64%-2,825-17.27%16,355Klickitat4,20944.21%5,31255.79%-1,103-11.58%9,521Lewis11,38136.23%20,03363.77%-8,652-27.54%31,414Lincoln1,60629.40%3,85670.60%-2,250-41.19%5,462Mason13,02649.59%13,23950.41%-213-0.81%26,265Okanogan6,45141.32%9,16258.68%-2,711-17.36%15,613Pacific5,14252.49%4,65447.51%4884.98%9,796Pend Oreille2,38138.34%3,82961.66%-1,448-23.32%6,210Pierce164,75851.90%152,71448.10%12,0443.79%317,472San Juan6,34764.87%3,43735.13%2,91029.74%9,784Skagit24,81848.85%25,98751.15%-1,169-2.30%50,805Skamania2,34746.75%2,67353.25%-326-6.49%5,020Snohomish160,48752.81%143,40347.19%17,0845.62%303,890Spokane90,85544.06%115,34055.94%-24,485-11.87%206,195Stevens7,15634.43%13,62865.57%-6,472-31.14%20,784Thurston63,09454.58%52,51545.42%10,5799.15%115,609Wahkiakum94746.24%1,10153.76%-154-7.52%2,048Walla Walla8,53337.04%14,50462.96%-5,971-25.92%23,037Whatcom50,32553.22%44,23546.78%6,0906.44%94,560Whitman6,80644.05%8,64655.95%-1,840-11.91%15,452Yakima30,14841.72%42,12158.28%-11,973-16.57%72,269Totals1,512,62052.95%1,344,13747.05%168,4835.90%2,856,757

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Asotin (largest city: Clarkston) Chelan (largest city: Wenatchee) Clallam (largest city: Port Angeles) Clark (largest city: Vancouver) Island (largest city: Oak Harbor) Kittitas (largest city: Ellensburg) Klickitat (largest city: Goldendale) Lewis (largest city: Centralia) Mason (largest city: Shelton) Okanogan (largest city: Omak) Skagit (largest city: Mount Vernon) Skamania (largest city: Carson) Spokane (largest city: Spokane) Wahkiakum (largest city: Puget Island) Walla Walla (largest city: Walla Walla) Whitman (largest city: Pullman) Yakima (largest city: Yakima)

By congressional district Kelley won five of ten congressional districts, with the remaining five going to Watkins, including one that elected a Democrat. District Kelley Watkins Representative 49.7% 50.3%Suzan DelBene 56% 44%Rick Larsen 46% 54%Jaime Herrera Beutler 37% 63%Doc Hastings 42% 58%Cathy McMorris Rodgers53%47%Norm DicksDerek Kilmer 75% 25%Jim McDermott 46% 54%Dave Reichert 64% 36%Adam Smith 54% 46%Denny Heck

References