2012 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election
 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
  Goldmark: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Didier: 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Washington (state) |
|---|
 |
The 2012 Washington Public Lands Commissioner election was held on November 6, 2012, to elect the Washington Public Lands Commissioner, 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.
Incumbent Democratic Public Lands Commissioner Peter J. Goldmark was re-elected to a second term, defeating Republican Clint Didier in a landslide.[1]
Background
[edit]Golmark was elected in 2008, defeating then-incumbent public lands commissioner Doug Sutherland.[2] He ran for re-election to a second term in office.[3]
Candidates
[edit]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.
Democratic Party
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Peter J. Goldmark, incumbent public lands commissioner (2009–2017)[3]
Republican Party
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Clint Didier, former NFL player and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010[3]
Third-party and independent candidates
[edit]Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Stephen A. Sharon (Independent)[3]
Results
[edit]
Goldmark
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Didier
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peter J. Goldmark (incumbent) | 683,448 | 51.88 | |
| Republican | Clint Didier | 540,907 | 41.06 | |
| Independent | Stephen A. Sharon | 92,993 | 7.06 | |
| Total votes | 1,317,348 | 100.00 | ||
General election
[edit]Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peter J. Goldmark (incumbent) | 1,692,083 | 58.74% | +8.19% | |
| Republican | Clint Didier | 1,188,411 | 41.26% | –8.19% | |
| Total votes | 2,880,494 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
[edit]| County[6] | Peter J. Goldmark
Democratic |
Clint Didier
Republican |
Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,552 | 34.02% | 3,010 | 65.98% | -1,458 | -31.96% | 4,562 |
| Asotin | 4,246 | 46.07% | 4,970 | 53.93% | -724 | -7.86% | 9,216 |
| Benton | 25,868 | 34.48% | 49,148 | 65.52% | -23,280 | -31.03% | 75,016 |
| Chelan | 12,946 | 43.08% | 17,107 | 56.92% | -4,161 | -13.85% | 30,053 |
| Clallam | 18,328 | 51.63% | 17,171 | 48.37% | 1,157 | 3.26% | 35,499 |
| Clark | 92,716 | 52.67% | 83,301 | 47.33% | 9,415 | 5.35% | 176,017 |
| Columbia | 728 | 34.10% | 1,407 | 65.90% | -679 | -31.80% | 2,135 |
| Cowlitz | 22,326 | 54.06% | 18,973 | 45.94% | 3,353 | 8.12% | 41,299 |
| Douglas | 5,445 | 38.57% | 8,671 | 61.43% | -3,226 | -22.85% | 14,116 |
| Ferry | 1,424 | 43.36% | 1,860 | 56.64% | -436 | -13.28% | 3,284 |
| Franklin | 7,753 | 35.36% | 14,172 | 64.64% | -6,419 | -29.28% | 21,925 |
| Garfield | 433 | 36.66% | 748 | 63.34% | -315 | -26.67% | 1,181 |
| Grant | 9,241 | 35.25% | 16,974 | 64.75% | -7,733 | -29.50% | 26,215 |
| Grays Harbor | 15,024 | 56.12% | 11,745 | 43.88% | 3,279 | 12.25% | 26,769 |
| Island | 21,006 | 53.70% | 18,110 | 46.30% | 2,896 | 7.40% | 39,116 |
| Jefferson | 12,455 | 67.42% | 6,020 | 32.58% | 6,435 | 34.83% | 18,475 |
| King | 626,897 | 71.86% | 245,435 | 28.14% | 381,462 | 43.73% | 872,332 |
| Kitsap | 66,262 | 57.73% | 48,521 | 42.27% | 17,741 | 15.46% | 114,783 |
| Kittitas | 7,200 | 43.36% | 9,404 | 56.64% | -2,204 | -13.27% | 16,604 |
| Klickitat | 4,467 | 46.36% | 5,169 | 53.64% | -702 | -7.29% | 9,636 |
| Lewis | 12,883 | 40.60% | 18,846 | 59.40% | -5,963 | -18.79% | 31,729 |
| Lincoln | 2,024 | 36.00% | 3,598 | 64.00% | -1,574 | -28.00% | 5,622 |
| Mason | 14,327 | 54.30% | 12,056 | 45.70% | 2,271 | 8.61% | 26,383 |
| Okanogan | 7,500 | 46.05% | 8,788 | 53.95% | -1,288 | -7.91% | 16,288 |
| Pacific | 5,461 | 55.63% | 4,356 | 44.37% | 1,105 | 11.26% | 9,817 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,772 | 43.58% | 3,588 | 56.42% | -816 | -12.83% | 6,360 |
| Pierce | 181,272 | 57.24% | 135,415 | 42.76% | 45,857 | 14.48% | 316,687 |
| San Juan | 6,923 | 69.89% | 2,983 | 30.11% | 3,940 | 39.77% | 9,906 |
| Skagit | 27,501 | 53.91% | 23,510 | 46.09% | 3,991 | 7.82% | 51,011 |
| Skamania | 2,570 | 50.95% | 2,474 | 49.05% | 96 | 1.90% | 5,044 |
| Snohomish | 178,169 | 58.16% | 128,173 | 41.84% | 49,996 | 16.32% | 306,342 |
| Spokane | 108,255 | 51.67% | 101,241 | 48.33% | 7,014 | 3.35% | 209,496 |
| Stevens | 8,459 | 39.80% | 12,793 | 60.20% | -4,334 | -20.39% | 21,252 |
| Thurston | 71,180 | 60.98% | 45,548 | 39.02% | 25,632 | 21.96% | 116,728 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,072 | 51.17% | 1,023 | 48.83% | 49 | 2.34% | 2,095 |
| Walla Walla | 9,697 | 41.36% | 13,747 | 58.64% | -4,050 | -17.28% | 23,444 |
| Whatcom | 54,723 | 57.29% | 40,801 | 42.71% | 13,922 | 14.57% | 95,524 |
| Whitman | 8,291 | 52.82% | 7,407 | 47.18% | 884 | 5.63% | 15,698 |
| Yakima | 32,687 | 44.88% | 40,148 | 55.12% | -7,461 | -10.24% | 72,835 |
| Totals | 1,692,083 | 58.74% | 1,188,411 | 41.26% | 503,672 | 17.49% | 2,880,494 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Clallam (largest city: Port Angeles)
- Clark (largest city: Vancouver)
- Cowlitz (largest city: Longview)
- Grays Harbor (largest city: Aberdeen)
- Island (largest city: Oak Harbor)
- Kitsap (largest city: Bremerton)
- Mason (largest city: Shelton)
- Pacific (largest city: Raymond)
- Pierce (largest city: Tacoma)
- Skagit (largest city: Mount Vernon)
- Skamania (largest city: Carson)
- Spokane (largest city: Spokane)
- Thurston (largest city: Lacey)
- Wahkiakum (largest city: Puget Island)
- Whitman (largest city: Pullman)
By congressional district
[edit]Goldmark won eight of ten congressional districts, including two that elected Republicans.[7]
| District | Goldmark | Didier | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 56% | 44% | Suzan DelBene |
| 2nd | 61% | 39% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 51% | 49% | Jaime Herrera Beutler |
| 4th | 39% | 61% | Doc Hastings |
| 5th | 49% | 51% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 59% | 41% | Derek Kilmer |
| 7th | 82% | 18% | Jim McDermott |
| 8th | 52% | 48% | Dave Reichert |
| 9th | 71% | 29% | Adam Smith |
| 10th | 59% | 41% | Denny Heck |
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/inslee-to-be-next-washington-governor-as-gops-mckenna-concedes-race
- ^ Heffter, Emily; Cornwall, Warren (November 7, 2008). "Goldmark declares victory in lands-commissioner race, Sutherland won't concede". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Geranios, Nicholas K. (July 15, 2012). "GOP's Didier jumps in to challenge Lands Commissioner Goldmark". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ Reed, Sam (August 7, 2012). "Commissioner of Public Lands". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ Reed, Sam (November 6, 2012). "Commissioner of Public Lands". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ Reed, Sam (November 6, 2012). "Commissioner of Public Lands - County Results". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ "2012 General Data". sos.wa.gov. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024.