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1996 Washington gubernatorial election

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1996 Washington gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →
 
Nominee Gary Locke Ellen Craswell
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,296,492 940,538
Percentage 57.96% 42.04%

County results
Locke:      50–60%      60–70%
Craswell:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Mike Lowry
Democratic

Elected Governor

Gary Locke
Democratic

The 1996 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1996. Though eligible for a second term, incumbent governor Mike Lowry chose not to run for reelection following a series of personal and public scandals, including allegations of sexual harassment.[1] This gubernatorial race was especially significant in that it resulted in the first Asian American governor in the mainland United States (after George Ariyoshi of island state Hawaii), Democrat Gary Locke.

Primary election

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Candidates

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Democratic

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Republican

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Results

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Blanket primary results[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gary Locke 287,762 23.65%
Democratic Norm Rice 212,888 17.50%
Republican Ellen Craswell 185,680 15.26%
Republican Dale Foreman 162,615 13.37%
Democratic Jay Inslee 118,571 9.75%
Republican Norm Maleng 109,088 8.97%
Republican Jim Waldo 63,854 5.25%
Republican Pam Roach 29,533 2.43%
Republican Nona Brazier 21,237 1.75%
Democratic Brian Zetlen 6,152 0.51%
Republican Warren E. Hanson 4,886 0.40%
Republican Bob Tharp 4,825 0.40%
Socialist Workers Jeff Powers 3,742 0.31%
Democratic Mohammad H. Said 3,007 0.25%
Democratic Max Englerius 2,837 0.23%
Total votes 1,216,677 100.00%

General election

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Candidates

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  • Gary Locke (D), King County Executive and former state representative
    • Third Generation Chinese American
    • Campaigned on election reform, worker retraining, and the development of social services.[4]
    • Cultivated an image of Technocratic expertise[5][6]
  • Ellen Craswell (R), president pro tempore of the Washington Senate
    • Born again Christian
    • Campaigned on tax cuts, restructuring of state government, and an application of biblical principles to social reform. [7]
    • Likened her policy positions to Reaganite conservatism, espousing a philosophy of small government, rights and freedoms, together with moral values.[8]

Campaign Controversies:

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  • Gary Locke's race drew many donors from the Asian American Community, including local Buddhist temples.[9] He also raised significant funds from national donors, in California and New York.[10]
  • Ellen Craswell integrated evangelical prayer networks with her fundraising and mobilization network[11], reaching more that 1000 small donors in October, where Locke received large contributions from business groups and Seattle elites.[12]
  • Craswell opposed expanding school funding: suggested cutting English as Second Language programs; delegating curriculum control to local school boards; and eliminating the superintendent of public instruction.[13]
  • An independent Political action committee made false claims that two sitting senators endorsed Locke in a mailer. They later recanted.[14]
  • The WA State GOP ran television ads, stating Locke's support for a Harm reduction program including sex education, counseling and condom distribution provided material support for prostitution.[15]

Debates

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Results

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1996 gubernatorial election[16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gary Locke 1,296,492 57.96% +5.80%
Republican Ellen Craswell 940,538 42.04% −5.80%
Majority 355,954 15.91%
Total votes 2,237,030 100.00%
Democratic hold Swing +11.59%

Results by county

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This is the most recent gubernatorial election in which Kittitas County has voted for a Democrat.

County[17] Gary Locke
Democratic
Ellen Craswell
Republican
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # %
Adams 1,829 40.13% 2,729 59.87% -900 -19.75% 4,558
Asotin 3,696 50.89% 3,567 49.11% 129 1.78% 7,263
Benton 25,899 48.34% 27,682 51.66% -1,783 -3.33% 53,581
Chelan 9,928 42.23% 13,584 57.77% -3,656 -15.55% 23,512
Clallam 14,536 49.31% 14,941 50.69% -405 -1.37% 29,477
Clark 58,400 52.65% 52,525 47.35% 5,875 5.30% 110,925
Columbia 863 44.10% 1,094 55.90% -231 -11.80% 1,957
Cowlitz 19,175 58.07% 13,843 41.93% 5,332 16.15% 33,018
Douglas 4,353 40.27% 6,456 59.73% -2,103 -19.46% 10,809
Ferry 1,251 44.76% 1,544 55.24% -293 -10.48% 2,795
Franklin 5,685 46.66% 6,499 53.34% -814 -6.68% 12,184
Garfield 511 40.56% 749 59.44% -238 -18.89% 1,260
Grant 8,916 41.04% 12,807 58.96% -3,891 -17.91% 21,723
Grays Harbor 15,851 60.66% 10,278 39.34% 5,573 21.33% 26,129
Island 14,874 52.59% 13,409 47.41% 1,465 5.18% 28,283
Jefferson 8,268 59.18% 5,702 40.82% 2,566 18.37% 13,970
King 490,284 67.03% 241,134 32.97% 249,150 34.06% 731,418
Kitsap 50,121 54.84% 41,275 45.16% 8,846 9.68% 91,396
Kittitas 6,609 53.17% 5,822 46.83% 787 6.33% 12,431
Klickitat 3,337 49.20% 3,445 50.80% -108 -1.59% 6,782
Lewis 11,377 42.15% 15,613 57.85% -4,236 -15.69% 26,990
Lincoln 1,947 38.92% 3,055 61.08% -1,108 -22.15% 5,002
Mason 11,421 55.30% 9,231 44.70% 2,190 10.60% 20,652
Okanogan 5,489 42.36% 7,468 57.64% -1,979 -15.27% 12,957
Pacific 5,699 62.85% 3,368 37.15% 2,331 25.71% 9,067
Pend Oreille 2,308 46.94% 2,609 53.06% -301 -6.12% 4,917
Pierce 131,194 55.43% 105,500 44.57% 25,694 10.86% 236,694
San Juan 4,567 63.19% 2,660 36.81% 1,907 26.39% 7,227
Skagit 21,522 52.81% 19,232 47.19% 2,290 5.62% 40,754
Skamania 1,915 52.04% 1,765 47.96% 150 4.08% 3,680
Snohomish 126,425 57.40% 93,827 42.60% 32,598 14.80% 220,252
Spokane 84,740 53.30% 74,249 46.70% 10,491 6.60% 158,989
Stevens 6,687 40.62% 9,777 59.38% -3,090 -18.77% 16,464
Thurston 53,106 61.10% 33,813 38.90% 19,293 22.20% 86,919
Wahkiakum 1,013 56.47% 781 43.53% 232 12.93% 1,794
Walla Walla 9,710 50.11% 9,669 49.89% 41 0.21% 19,379
Whatcom 34,679 54.02% 29,517 45.98% 5,162 8.04% 64,196
Whitman 8,743 55.60% 6,981 44.40% 1,762 11.21% 15,724
Yakima 29,564 47.76% 32,338 52.24% -2,774 -4.48% 61,902
Totals 1,296,492 57.96% 940,538 42.04% 355,954 15.91% 2,237,030

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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Subsequent controversies:

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The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission opened an investigation in 1997 relating to campaign contributions received from the Chinese Americans and foreign nationals. In example, the Ling Chen Zhe Buddhist temple,[18] where a $5000 cash donation was accepted, returned and five $1000 donations were given in its place. Together with official campaign events held at the Harmony Palace restaurant, co-owned by a leader of the Chinese gang Ghost Shadows. In total, six fundraising events for the Locke campaign were organized by John Huang, who donated $750 personally, with similar occurrences at each one.[19]

This investigation was subsequently picked up (as part of a probe into the 1996 campaign finance scandal) by the IRS, who requested records extending to 1990, the time of Locke's campaign for King County executive.[20] Locke testified before Congress in 2006[21] and denied knowingly accepting campaign contributions from Chinese foreign agents. In 2015, the Locke gubernatorial campaign plead guilty to breaking three campaign fundraising laws relating to the limits for individual contribution, timely reporting of contributions, and failure to deposit cash contributions.[22]

Ellen Craswell battled cancer immediately following the election, retired in 2005, and died in 2008.[23]

References

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  1. ^ "Lowry Declares He's Out Of Running Surprise Announcement Throws Governor's Race Wide Open | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Elections Search Results September 1996 Primary". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  3. ^ Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Returns of the Washington State Primary September 17, 1996. Olympia, Washington. pp. 2–4.
  4. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  6. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  7. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Craswell Has Higher Calling For Government Gop Governor Candidate Puts God In Her Campaign | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  10. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  11. ^ "Proquest". proquest. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  12. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "LOCKE, CRASWELL DIFFER ON EDUCATION TOO LOCKE: - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  15. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  16. ^ "Elections Search Results November 1996 General". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Returns of the State General Election November 5, 1996. Olympia, Washington. p. 10.
  18. ^ "| The Seattle Times Subscribers Archives". seattletimessubs.newsbank.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Atkins, Drew. "The scandals of former Gov. Gary Locke | Cascade PBS". www.cascadepbs.org. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  20. ^ "Authenticate for Database Access". proquest. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  21. ^ "The grilling of Gary Locke". Seattle Weekly. October 9, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Authenticate for Database Access". proquest. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "Former state Sen. Ellen Craswell dies; she ran for governor as conservative". The Seattle Times. April 8, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2024.