Elections Update + Resources: May 2026
Washington State Legislature and Supreme Court
2026 Elections: Post-Filing Week Update
Filing week closed May 8, 2026. More than 1,100 candidates filed for 602 offices statewide and the primary is 75 days out — August 4, 2026.
Resources and Key Links
Use the SOS candidate list for contact information, including campaign names, mailing addresses for checks, and campaign phone and email. Use PDC for contribution research and tracking fundraising. Endorsement guides will be most useful starting in early July.
| Resource | Link | Use It For |
|---|---|---|
| SOS: Candidates Who Filed | voter.votewa.gov/CandidateList.aspx?e=898 | Candidate name, mailing address, email, phone. Starting point for interview requests, questionnaires, and outreach. |
| PDC: Campaign Finance Search | pdc.wa.gov/…/candidates?election_year=2026 | All reported contributions and expenditures by candidate. Use before making contribution decisions and to track who has a serious financial base. |
| WA Legislature: Committee Assignments | leg.wa.gov/about-the-legislature/committees | Current chairs, members, and contact info. Useful context to track who is leaving which roles. |
| WSLC 2026 COPE Endorsements | wslc.org/political-action | 120 candidates endorsed May 16. Covers legislative and statewide races. |
| WSLC Legislative Scorecard | wslc.org/legislative-advocacy | How every legislator voted on labor-priority bills this session. Useful for candidate vetting. |
| Fuse Progressive Voters Guide | fusewashington.org/…/fuses-2026-primary-election-endorsements | Full primary guide publishes early July. Check back then for district-level recommendations. Early endorsements are posted now. |
| Blue Voter Guide | bluevoterguide.org/state/washington | Aggregates endorsements from multiple progressive organizations. Updated as endorsements are released. |
| Ballotpedia: WA Supreme Court 2026 | ballotpedia.org/Washington_Supreme_Court_elections,_2026 | Full candidate profiles, fundraising totals, endorsements for all five court races. |
PDC Reporting Schedule: When to Check
Washington candidates file C-4 reports on a fixed schedule. Weekly reports begin June 1. The July 14 report covers the full post-filing fundraising period.
| Report Due | What It Covers / Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| May 11 | Contributions and expenditures through April 30. First full picture of post-announcement fundraising for many newly filed candidates. |
| June 10 | Through May 31. Covers the filing week period. Early read on who built a financial base when they announced. |
| June 1 onward | Weekly C-3 reports begin (filed every Monday). Real-time contributions visible from this point forward. |
| July 14 | 21-day pre-primary C-4, covering June 1 through July 13. Most comprehensive fundraising snapshot before the primary. Best report to check before making late contribution decisions. |
| July 28 | 7-day pre-primary, covering July 14 through July 27. Last filing before primary ballots are due. |
| September 10 | Post-primary, covering July 28 through August 31. Shows who survived and their financial position heading into the general. |
| October 13 | 21-day pre-general, covering September 1 through October 12. Key snapshot before November 3. |
| October 27 | 7-day pre-general, covering October 13 through October 26. Final pre-election filing. |
Full PDC 2026 key dates: pdc.wa.gov/registration-reporting/candidates-committees/registration-reporting-basics/key-dates-2026
Washington Supreme Court: Five Seats
All five races are non-partisan. Washington uses a top-two primary, so all candidates for each seat compete on the same August ballot and the top two advance to November. The court's composition will be central to litigation over Washington's millionaires tax, reproductive rights enforcement, immigration protections, and election administration. This may be the most expensive judicial cycle in state history.
| Pos. | Race Type / Incumbent | Candidates (filed) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Special Election, 2-yr termColleen Melody, incumbent (appt. Jan. 2026)Outgoing: Justice Mary Yu, ret. |
Colleen Melody, Anne Melani Bremner, Laura Christensen Colberg, Scott Edwards | Melody holds endorsements from the full court, Governor Ferguson, and AG Brown. Bremner, a prominent Seattle defense attorney, entered late. Edwards has litigated against income and capital gains taxes. |
| 3 | OPEN SEAT, 6-yr termOutgoing: Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, retiring |
J. Michael Diaz, Jaime Michelle Hawk, David Stevens | Montoya-Lewis personally endorsed Diaz as her successor. Hawk, a former ACLU legal director and King County Superior Court judge, entered in April and has framed her candidacy around preserving the court's majority-women composition. Stevens is the conservative candidate, endorsed by the WA Republican Party. |
| 4 | OPEN SEAT, 6-yr termOutgoing: Justice Charles W. Johnson, mandatory retirement |
Ian Birk, Sean O'Donnell | Two-way race. Birk is a Court of Appeals judge and leads all candidates in fundraising at roughly $201,000. O'Donnell has served 13 years on King County Superior Court, including as justice pro tem on the Supreme Court. Both rated Exceptionally Well Qualified by bar associations. |
| 5 | Special Election, 2-yr termTheo Angelis, incumbent (appt. Apr. 2026)Outgoing: Justice Barbara Madsen, ret. |
Theo Angelis, Dave Larson, Sharonda Amamilo, Greg Miller | Larson is a perennial conservative candidate (ran 2000, 2016, 2020, 2024; narrowly lost in 2024). Amamilo is a Thurston County Superior Court judge endorsed by Justice Whitener. Miller filed after the pre-filing document was prepared. |
| 7 | Regular Reelection, 6-yr termDebra Stephens, incumbent, Chief Justice |
Debra L. Stephens, Karim A. Merchant, David R. Shelvey, Todd A. Bloom | Stephens wrote the 2023 majority opinion upholding the capital gains tax. Three challengers filed. Shelvey ran for Pos. 2 in 2024. |
Open Legislative Seats: Filed Candidates
Democrat-held district
Republican-held district
All candidate data from the Secretary of State official filing list, May 8, 2026. Verify at: voter.votewa.gov/CandidateList.aspx?e=898
| LD | Departing Member | Open Seat | Candidates Filed (SOS, May 8, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Rep. Timm Ormsby (D) retiringChair, House Appropriations | House Pos. 2 | Pam Kohlmeier (D), Luc Jasmin III (D), Donovan Arnold DeLeon (D), Natalie Poulson (R) |
| 4 | Rep. Suzanne Schmidt (R) running for Spokane County Commission | House Pos. 1 | Trent Maier (R), Hillary Q. Pham (R), Debra Long (R), George Wagner (R) |
| 6 | Rep. Mike Volz (R) retiringRep. Jenny Graham (R) retiringRanking Member, House Community Safety | House Pos. 1 and Pos. 2 (both open) | Pos. 1: Sueann Davis (R), Isaiah Paine (R), Jennifer Morton (R), AlSonnet 4.6
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Washington Supreme Court 2026: Candidate and Election Update |
