WA Primary Election Certified, Only Guarantee is More Turnover

Posted by Joe Adamack on August 26, 2026

On Friday the Washington Secretary of State officially certified the 2026 primary election, providing clarity (in all but one seat currently undergoing a hand recount) on which candidates will move onto the November general election. Of the 132 legislative seats on this year’s ballot at minimum 16 will be held by a brand-new legislator. That number will certainly increase given the number of incumbents that could be unseated in November as well.

That 16 doesn’t even include current members of the House that are running for a Senate seat, which would retain their experience but see them in an entirely new role in January. Based on the primary results that number could add another six to that baseline list.

Continued turnover in state Legislatures — especially those with 147 positions like Washington — is not uncommon and has increased since 2020, which reaffirms the continued and ongoing need to educate and engage new legislators as they enter the state legislative process, highlighting that legislative relationship building is a constant, not a point in time, responsibility.

Posted in Advocacy on the Move, Washington Advocacy.