The 2000 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Democratic governor Gary Locke defeated the Republican candidate John Carlson for his second term in a landslide.
![]() | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
![]() County results
Locke: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
|
As of 2022[update], this was the earliest gubernatorial election in Washington in which both candidates are currently still living. This is the last time a Democratic nominee for governor outperformed the Democratic nominee for president in Washington.
This would also be the last gubernatorial election in Washington in which the margin of victory was in double digits and in which any counties in Eastern Washington voted for a Democrat until Jay Inslee's 2020 landslide victory. This is the last and the most recent Washington gubernatorial election in which the winning candidate carried a majority of Washington's counties.
Primary election
editCandidates
editDemocratic
edit- Gary Locke, incumbent Governor of Washington
- Meta Heller
Republican
edit- John Carlson, talk radio host on KVI-AM
- Harold Hochstatter, state senator
Libertarian
edit- Steve W. LePage
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Gary Locke | 701,929 | 54.32% | |
Republican | John Carlson | 446,142 | 34.52% | |
Republican | Harold Hochstatter | 93,467 | 7.23% | |
Democratic | Meta Heller | 28,578 | 2.21% | |
Libertarian | Steve W. LePage | 22,186 | 1.72% | |
Total votes | 1,292,302 | 100.00% |
General election
editCandidates
edit- Gary Locke (D), incumbent Governor of Washington
- John Carlson (R), talk radio host on KVI-AM
- Steve W. LePage (L)
Debates
edit- Complete video of debate, September 28, 2000 - C-SPAN
- Complete video of debate, October 11, 2000 - C-SPAN
- Complete video of debate, October 23, 2000 - C-SPAN
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Gary Locke (incumbent) | 1,441,973 | 58.38% | +0.43% | |
Republican | John Carlson | 980,060 | 39.68 | −2.36% | |
Libertarian | Steve W. LePage | 47,819 | 1.94 | ||
Majority | 461,913 | 18.70% | |||
Total votes | 2,469,852 | 100.00% | |||
Democratic hold | Swing | +2.79% |
Results by county
editKittitas County voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1948. Locke is the most recent Democrat to win the following the counties: Asotin, Clallam, Klickitat, Mason, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Spokane, Wahkiakum, and Walla Walla. Whitman County would not vote Democratic again until 2020.
County[4] | Gary Locke Democratic |
John Carlson Republican |
Steve W. LePage Libertarian |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 2,250 | 45.49% | 2,629 | 53.15% | 67 | 1.35% | -379 | -7.66% | 4,946 |
Asotin | 4,718 | 59.64% | 3,070 | 38.81% | 123 | 1.55% | 1,648 | 20.83% | 7,911 |
Benton | 28,892 | 48.72% | 29,245 | 49.32% | 1,165 | 1.96% | -353 | -0.60% | 59,302 |
Chelan | 10,984 | 41.69% | 14,970 | 56.82% | 391 | 1.48% | -3,986 | -15.13% | 26,345 |
Clallam | 17,128 | 53.93% | 13,795 | 43.43% | 839 | 2.64% | 3,333 | 10.49% | 31,762 |
Clark | 71,998 | 54.20% | 57,464 | 43.26% | 3,382 | 2.55% | 14,534 | 10.94% | 132,844 |
Columbia | 950 | 45.28% | 1,116 | 53.19% | 32 | 1.53% | -166 | -7.91% | 2,098 |
Cowlitz | 20,919 | 57.28% | 14,589 | 39.95% | 1,010 | 2.77% | 6,330 | 17.33% | 36,518 |
Douglas | 5,149 | 40.12% | 7,454 | 58.08% | 232 | 1.81% | -2,305 | -17.96% | 12,835 |
Ferry | 1,254 | 41.62% | 1,624 | 53.90% | 135 | 4.48% | -370 | -12.28% | 3,013 |
Franklin | 6,757 | 48.53% | 6,832 | 49.07% | 333 | 2.39% | -75 | -0.54% | 13,922 |
Garfield | 644 | 48.42% | 646 | 48.57% | 30 | 3.01% | -2 | -0.15% | 1,330 |
Grant | 9,491 | 40.05% | 13,673 | 57.70% | 531 | 2.24% | -4,182 | -17.65% | 23,695 |
Grays Harbor | 15,817 | 60.93% | 9,566 | 36.85% | 578 | 2.23% | 6,251 | 24.08% | 25,961 |
Island | 17,736 | 54.31% | 14,381 | 44.04% | 541 | 1.66% | 3,355 | 10.27% | 32,658 |
Jefferson | 9,712 | 61.71% | 5,628 | 35.76% | 398 | 2.53% | 4,084 | 25.95% | 15,735 |
King | 522,229 | 66.46% | 250,103 | 31.83% | 13,475 | 1.71% | 272,126 | 34.63% | 785,807 |
Kitsap | 58,603 | 56.94% | 42,358 | 41.15% | 1,966 | 1.91% | 16,245 | 15.78% | 102,927 |
Kittitas | 6,423 | 45.88% | 7,262 | 51.87% | 315 | 2.25% | -839 | -5.99% | 14,000 |
Klickitat | 4,278 | 53.48% | 3,468 | 43.36% | 253 | 3.16% | 810 | 10.13% | 7,999 |
Lewis | 12,545 | 42.18% | 16,422 | 55.21% | 777 | 2.61% | -3,877 | -13.03% | 29,744 |
Lincoln | 2,083 | 40.20% | 2,984 | 57.58% | 115 | 2.22% | -901 | -17.39% | 5,182 |
Mason | 12,319 | 55.27% | 9,473 | 42.50% | 497 | 2.23% | 2,846 | 12.77% | 22,289 |
Okanogan | 5,626 | 38.36% | 8,559 | 58.36% | 481 | 3.28% | -2,933 | -20.00% | 14,666 |
Pacific | 5,519 | 58.68% | 3,643 | 38.73% | 244 | 2.59% | 1,876 | 19.94% | 9,406 |
Pend Oreille | 2,621 | 48.76% | 2,590 | 48.19% | 164 | 3.05% | 31 | 0.58% | 5,375 |
Pierce | 148,450 | 55.60% | 113,633 | 42.56% | 4,900 | 1.84% | 34,817 | 13.04% | 266,983 |
San Juan | 5,385 | 64.83% | 2,684 | 32.31% | 237 | 2.85% | 2,701 | 32.52% | 8,306 |
Skagit | 24,191 | 53.70% | 19,990 | 44.37% | 871 | 1.93% | 4,201 | 9.32% | 45,052 |
Skamania | 2,148 | 53.25% | 1,656 | 41.05% | 230 | 5.70% | 492 | 12.20% | 4,034 |
Snohomish | 142,196 | 56.89% | 102,993 | 41.21% | 4,756 | 1.90% | 39,203 | 15.68% | 249,945 |
Spokane | 99,492 | 57.85% | 69,848 | 40.61% | 2,652 | 1.54% | 29,644 | 17.24% | 171,992 |
Stevens | 7,426 | 41.64% | 9,871 | 55.35% | 536 | 3.01% | -2,445 | -13.71% | 17,833 |
Thurston | 58,915 | 61.07% | 35,404 | 36.70% | 2,147 | 2.23% | 23,511 | 24.38% | 96,466 |
Wahkiakum | 1,112 | 57.00% | 770 | 39.47% | 69 | 3.54% | 342 | 17.53% | 1,951 |
Walla Walla | 10,869 | 51.31% | 9,936 | 46.90% | 380 | 1.79% | 933 | 4.40% | 21,185 |
Whatcom | 42,313 | 58.22% | 28,861 | 39.71% | 1,500 | 2.06% | 13,452 | 18.51% | 72,674 |
Whitman | 9,113 | 56.75% | 6,676 | 41.57% | 269 | 1.68% | 2,437 | 15.18% | 16,058 |
Yakima | 33,718 | 48.80% | 34,194 | 49.48% | 1,188 | 1.72% | -476 | -0.69% | 69,100 |
Totals | 1,441.973 | 58.38% | 980,060 | 39.68% | 47,819 | 1.94% | 461,913 | 18.70% | 2,469,852 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
edit- Clallam (largest city: Port Angeles)
- Klickitat (Largest city: Goldendale)
- Pend Oreille (Largest city: Newport)
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
edit- Kittias (Largest city: Ellensburg)
References
edit- ^ "Elections Search Results September 2000 Primary". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Returns of the Washington State Primary September 19, 2000. Olympia, Washington. p. 7.
- ^ "Elections Search Results November 2000 General". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Returns of the State General Election November 7, 2000. Olympia, Washington. p. 10.