2012 Washington gubernatorial election

The 2012 Washington gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012. Candidates in the election were chosen in an August 7, 2012 primary election, under the state's nonpartisan blanket primary system, which allows voters to vote for any candidate running in the race, regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates who received the most votes in the primary election qualified for the general election.

Incumbent Governor Christine Gregoire decided to retire rather than seek a third term. She endorsed fellow Democrat Jay Inslee, a U.S. Congressman, as her successor. On March 20, 2012, Inslee resigned from Congress in order to focus on his gubernatorial campaign.

Inslee and Republican Rob McKenna, the Attorney General of Washington, advanced to the general election. Inslee narrowly won the election, and McKenna conceded three days later.

Democratic candidates

 * Rob Hill
 * Jay Inslee, U.S. Representative for WA-01 (1999–2012) and WA-04 (1993–1995)

Declined

 * Lisa Brown, State Senate Majority Leader
 * Dow Constantine, King County Executive
 * Christine Gregoire, incumbent Governor
 * Jim McIntire, State Treasurer
 * Aaron Reardon, Snohomish County Executive
 * Ron Sims, former King County Executive and Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
 * Brian Sonntag, State Auditor

Republican candidates

 * Shahram Hadian, pastor and small business owner
 * Javier O. Lopez
 * Rob McKenna, Attorney General of Washington
 * Max Sampson

Declined

 * Dave Reichert, U.S. Representative

Independent candidates

 * Christian Joubert
 * L. Dale Sorgen, computer programmer and former pastor
 * James White

Candidates

 * Jay Inslee (Democratic), former U.S. Representative
 * Rob McKenna (Republican), Attorney General of Washington

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, October 2, 2012 - C-SPAN

Polling

 * Aggregate polls


 * Christine Gregoire vs. Rob McKenna
 * Christine Gregoire vs. Dave Reichert
 * Jay Inslee vs. Dave Reichert
 * Lisa Brown vs. Rob McKenna

Results
The race was close throughout the night, with results too close to call after 60 percent of ballots were cast. Inslee was declared the winner early in the morning three days later; McKenna conceded later in the evening.

Inslee won only eight of the state's 39 counties, relying on heavy votes from the Seattle metropolitan area pushing him to victory.

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Island (largest city: Oak Harbor)
 * Kitsap (largest city: Bremerton)
 * Pierce (largest city: Tacoma)
 * Skagit (largest city: Mount Vernon)

By congressional district
Inslee won 5 of 10 congressional districts with the remaining 5 going to McKenna, including one that elected a Democrat.