Washington's Democratic Secretary of Steve Hobbs has a thirteen point lead over Republican challenger Dale Whitaker

After being held for Republicans for over half a century, the Office of the Secretary of State was regained by Democrats three years ago when State Senator Steve Hobbs was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to take the place of departing Secretary Kim Wyman, who resigned to take a position with CISA. In 2022, voters elected to retain Hobbs to finish out the remainder of Wyman’s term in a special election despite a strong challenge from Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, who ran with no party affiliation.

Our autumn polling two years ago found a close race, with Hobbs and Anderson initially tied, but Hobbs gaining an advantage after Republican Brad Klippert’s write-in candidacy was factored in. This cycle, we find Hobbs on a glide path to reelection, facing an opponent liked by Republicans but unknown to the wider electorate: Dale Whitaker.

Asked about their voting intention for Secretary of State last week by Public Policy Polling on NPI’s behalf, 47% of 571 likely Washington voters said they were voting for Hobbs, while 34% said they were voting for Whitaker. 19% said they were not sure.

Hobbs’ thirteen point advantage mirrors Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck’s twelve point advantage in his race to secure reelection to another key position in the executive department. It’s evident that Hobbs’ name recognition has increased — more voters are familiar with him. He does especially well with independents in addition to Democratic voters, making his reelection all the more likely.

https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2024/10/washingtons-democratic-secretary-of-steve-hobbs-has-a-thirteen-point-lead-over-republican-challenger-dale-whitaker.html