For related races, see 1984 United States gubernatorial elections.
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 County resultsGardner: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Spellman: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1984 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican John Spellman ran for re-election to a second term but was defeated by Democrat Booth Gardner. This is the last time that the Washington Governor's office changed partisan control or that an incumbent Governor of Washington lost a general election.
Primary election
Candidates
Democratic
- Booth Gardner, Pierce County Executive
- Jim McDermott, psychiatrist, state senator, candidate for governor in 1972, and nominee for governor 1980
- John Jovanovich, state representative
Republican
- John Spellman, incumbent governor of Washington
- Ted Parker Fix
Third-party
- Mark A. Calney (Independent), author
- Bob LeRoy (Populist)
- Cheryll Y. Hidalgo (Socialist Workers)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Booth Gardner | 421,087 | 46.07% | |
| Republican | John Spellman (incumbent) | 239,463 | 26.20% | |
| Democratic | Jim McDermott | 209,435 | 22.91% | |
| Democratic | John Jovanovich | 23,699 | 2.59% | |
| Republican | Ted Parker Fix | 11,193 | 1.23% | |
| Populist | Bob LeRoy | 3,601 | 0.39% | |
| Independent | Mark A. Calney | 2,851 | 0.31% | |
| Socialist Workers | Cheryll Y. Hidalgo | 2,672 | 0.29% | |
| Total votes | 914,001 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- John Spellman (R), incumbent governor of Washington
- Booth Gardner (D), Pierce County Executive
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Booth Gardner | 1,006,993 | 53.31% | +9.99% | |
| Republican | John Spellman (incumbent) | 881,994 | 46.69% | −9.99% | |
| Majority | 124,999 | 6.62% | |||
| Total votes | 1,888,987 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | +19.98% | |||
Results by county
Booth Gardner is the most recent Democrat to carry Lewis County and Stevens County in a gubernatorial election. Conversely, John Spellman is the last Republican to have won San Juan County.
| County | Booth Gardner Democratic |
John Spellman Republican |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 2,070 | 42.43% | 2,809 | 57.57% | -739 | -15.15% | 4,879 |
| Asotin | 3,833 | 53.68% | 3,308 | 46.32% | 525 | 7.35% | 7,141 |
| Benton | 20,982 | 44.44% | 26,236 | 55.56% | -5,254 | -11.13% | 47,218 |
| Chelan | 8,843 | 42.51% | 11,960 | 57.49% | -3,117 | -14.98% | 20,803 |
| Clallam | 12,156 | 50.70% | 11,820 | 49.30% | 336 | 1.40% | 23,976 |
| Clark | 46,144 | 59.33% | 31,629 | 40.67% | 14,515 | 18.66% | 77,773 |
| Columbia | 935 | 44.69% | 1,157 | 55.31% | -222 | -10.61% | 2,092 |
| Cowlitz | 18,770 | 61.90% | 11,553 | 38.10% | 7,217 | 23.80% | 30,323 |
| Douglas | 4,398 | 45.07% | 5,361 | 54.93% | -963 | -9.87% | 9,759 |
| Ferry | 1,194 | 56.08% | 935 | 43.92% | 259 | 12.17% | 2,129 |
| Franklin | 5,761 | 47.96% | 6,250 | 52.04% | -489 | -4.07% | 12,011 |
| Garfield | 685 | 48.21% | 736 | 51.79% | -51 | -3.59% | 1,421 |
| Grant | 8,917 | 46.55% | 10,238 | 53.45% | -1,321 | 6.90% | 19,155 |
| Grays Harbor | 18,752 | 70.73% | 7,761 | 29.27% | 10,991 | 41.46% | 26,513 |
| Island | 9,160 | 43.99% | 11,664 | 56.01% | -2,504 | -12.02% | 20,824 |
| Jefferson | 4,904 | 53.72% | 4,224 | 46.28% | 680 | 7.45% | 9,128 |
| King | 336,878 | 52.35% | 306,605 | 47.65% | 30,273 | 4.70% | 643,483 |
| Kitsap | 37,460 | 55.67% | 29,835 | 44.33% | 7,625 | 11.33% | 67,295 |
| Kittitas | 6,577 | 59.35% | 4,504 | 40.65% | 2,073 | 18.71% | 11,081 |
| Klickitat | 3,797 | 56.61% | 2,910 | 43.39% | 887 | 13.22% | 6,707 |
| Lewis | 13,811 | 58.08% | 9,969 | 41.92% | 3,842 | 16.16% | 23,780 |
| Lincoln | 2,345 | 44.81% | 2,888 | 55.19% | -543 | -10.38% | 5,233 |
| Mason | 9,316 | 58.80% | 6,528 | 41.20% | 2,788 | 17.60% | 15,844 |
| Okanogan | 6,357 | 48.31% | 6,802 | 51.69% | -445 | -3.38% | 13,159 |
| Pacific | 5,473 | 64.94% | 2,955 | 35.06% | 2,518 | 29.88% | 8,428 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,298 | 56.55% | 1,766 | 43.45% | 532 | 13.09% | 4,064 |
| Pierce | 112,796 | 58.74% | 79,246 | 41.26% | 33,550 | 17.47% | 192,042 |
| San Juan | 2,634 | 48.48% | 2,799 | 51.52% | -165 | -3.04% | 5,433 |
| Skagit | 18,457 | 54.95% | 15,130 | 45.05% | 3,327 | 9.91% | 33,587 |
| Skamania | 1,934 | 58.43% | 1,376 | 41.57% | 558 | 16.86% | 3,310 |
| Snohomish | 84,328 | 52.66% | 75,823 | 47.34% | 8,505 | 5.31% | 160,151 |
| Spokane | 74,244 | 49.25% | 76,502 | 50.75% | -2,258 | -1.50% | 150,746 |
| Stevens | 6,433 | 50.02% | 6,428 | 49.98% | 5 | 0.04% | 12,861 |
| Thurston | 35,501 | 56.85% | 26,950 | 43.15% | 8,551 | 13.69% | 62,451 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,078 | 63.52% | 619 | 36.48% | 459 | 27.05% | 1,697 |
| Walla Walla | 8,473 | 43.28% | 11,106 | 56.72% | -2,633 | -13.45% | 19,579 |
| Whatcom | 30,525 | 60.11% | 20,255 | 39.89% | 10,270 | 20.22% | 50,780 |
| Whitman | 7,512 | 44.83% | 9,246 | 55.17% | -1,734 | -10.35% | 16,758 |
| Yakima | 31,262 | 47.82% | 34,111 | 52.18% | -2,849 | -4.36% | 65,373 |
| Totals | 1,006,993 | 53.31% | 881,994 | 46.69% | 124,999 | 6.62% | 1,888,987 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Asotin
- Clallam
- Clark
- Cowlitz
- King
- Kitsap
- Kittitas
- Lewis
- Mason
- Pend Oreille
- Pierce
- Skagit
- Snohomish
- Stevens
- Thurston
- Whatcom
References
- "Elections Search Results September 1984 Primary". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Abstract of the Results of the September 18, 1984 Washington State Primary. Olympia, Washington. pp. 6–7.
- ^ "Elections Search Results November 1984 General". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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