1986 United States Senate election in Washington
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November 3, 1986
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 County results Adams: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Gorton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Washington (state) |
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The 1986 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 3, 1986. Incumbent Republican Senator Slade Gorton lost re-election to former Transportation Secretary Brock Adams. Gorton later won Washington's other Senate seat in 1988 and 1994 before losing re-election again in 2000. To date, this remains the last time anyone other than Patty Murray won this senate seat.
Blanket primary
Candidates
Democratic
- Brock Adams, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
- Orin O. Osborn
- James Sherwood Stokes
Republican
- Slade Gorton, incumbent U.S. Senator
- George Campbell
- Ted Parker Fix
Washington Taxpayer
- Jill Fein
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Slade Gorton (incumbent) | 291,735 | 46.36% | |
| Democratic | Brock Adams | 287,258 | 45.64% | |
| Socialist Workers | Jill Fein | 2,240 | 0.36% | |
| Republican | George Campbell | 12,608 | 2.00% | |
| Republican | Orin O. Osborn | 8,378 | 1.33% | |
| Democratic | James Sherwood Stokes | 7,134 | 1.13% | |
| Republican | Ted Parker Fix | 5,154 | 0.82% | |
| Total votes | 614,507 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Brock Adams (D), former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
- Slade Gorton (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brock Adams | 677,471 | 50.66% | +4.83% | |
| Republican | Slade Gorton (incumbent) | 650,931 | 48.67% | –5.50% | |
| Socialist Workers | Jill Fein | 8,965 | 0.67% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 1,337,367 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
By county
| County[1] | Slade Gorton
Republican |
Brock Adams
Democratic |
Jill Fein
Socialist Workers |
Margin | Total votes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 2,328 | 63.78% | 1,303 | 35.70% | 19 | 0.52% | -1,025 | -28.08% | 3,650 |
| Asotin | 3,105 | 47.84% | 3,328 | 51.27% | 58 | 0.89% | 223 | 3.44% | 6,491 |
| Benton | 23,098 | 66.19% | 11,312 | 32.41% | 488 | 1.40% | -11,786 | -33.77% | 34,898 |
| Chelan | 8,812 | 57.57% | 6,338 | 41.41% | 156 | 1.02% | -2,474 | -16.16% | 15,306 |
| Clallam | 8,835 | 50.12% | 8,675 | 49.21% | 117 | 0.66% | -160 | -0.91% | 17,627 |
| Clark | 24,280 | 45.59% | 28,692 | 53.87% | 291 | 0.55% | 4,412 | 8.28% | 53,263 |
| Columbia | 1,069 | 62.92% | 627 | 36.90% | 3 | 0.18% | -442 | -26.02% | 1,699 |
| Cowlitz | 8,465 | 40.90% | 12,143 | 58.66% | 91 | 0.44% | 3,678 | 17.77% | 20,699 |
| Douglas | 4,229 | 56.61% | 3,205 | 42.90% | 36 | 0.48% | -1,024 | -13.71% | 7,470 |
| Ferry | 799 | 45.61% | 938 | 53.54% | 15 | 0.86% | 139 | 7.93% | 1,752 |
| Franklin | 5,132 | 57.80% | 3,649 | 41.10% | 98 | 1.10% | -1,483 | -16.70% | 8,879 |
| Garfield | 773 | 58.34% | 549 | 41.43% | 3 | 0.23% | -224 | -16.91% | 1,325 |
| Grant | 8,991 | 59.31% | 6,039 | 39.84% | 130 | 0.86% | -2,952 | -19.47% | 15,160 |
| Grays Harbor | 7,243 | 35.67% | 12,857 | 63.32% | 205 | 1.01% | 5,614 | 27.65% | 20,305 |
| Island | 9,138 | 58.34% | 6,390 | 40.79% | 136 | 0.87% | -2,748 | -17.54% | 15,664 |
| Jefferson | 3,332 | 45.61% | 3,924 | 53.72% | 49 | 0.67% | 592 | 8.10% | 7,305 |
| King | 204,547 | 45.91% | 238,720 | 53.58% | 2,277 | 0.51% | 34,173 | 7.67% | 445,544 |
| Kitsap | 22,131 | 46.31% | 25,277 | 52.89% | 380 | 0.80% | 3,146 | 6.58% | 47,788 |
| Kittitas | 4,264 | 51.13% | 4,041 | 48.46% | 34 | 0.41% | -223 | -2.67% | 8,339 |
| Klickitat | 2,142 | 40.10% | 3,148 | 58.94% | 51 | 0.95% | 1,006 | 18.84% | 5,341 |
| Lewis | 10,445 | 55.18% | 8,246 | 43.57% | 237 | 1.25% | -2,199 | -11.62% | 18,928 |
| Lincoln | 2,478 | 58.66% | 1,716 | 40.63% | 30 | 0.71% | -762 | -18.04% | 4,224 |
| Mason | 5,582 | 45.23% | 6,674 | 54.08% | 86 | 0.70% | 1,092 | 8.85% | 12,342 |
| Okanogan | 5,074 | 49.62% | 5,069 | 49.57% | 82 | 0.80% | -5 | -0.05% | 10,225 |
| Pacific | 2,600 | 37.16% | 4,329 | 61.87% | 68 | 0.97% | 1,729 | 24.71% | 6,997 |
| Pend Oreille | 1,707 | 49.75% | 1,710 | 49.84% | 14 | 0.41% | 3 | 0.09% | 3,431 |
| Pierce | 59,470 | 47.04% | 66,038 | 52.23% | 917 | 0.73% | 6,568 | 5.20% | 126,425 |
| San Juan | 2,417 | 52.41% | 2,157 | 46.77% | 38 | 0.82% | -260 | -5.64% | 4,612 |
| Skagit | 13,134 | 50.88% | 12,487 | 48.37% | 192 | 0.74% | -647 | -2.51% | 25,813 |
| Skamania | 602 | 20.44% | 2,312 | 78.51% | 31 | 1.05% | 1,710 | 58.06% | 2,945 |
| Snohomish | 52,615 | 48.66% | 54,837 | 50.71% | 686 | 0.63% | 2,222 | 2.05% | 108,138 |
| Spokane | 55,354 | 51.21% | 52,149 | 48.24% | 597 | 0.55% | -3,205 | -2.96% | 108,100 |
| Stevens | 5,729 | 56.08% | 4,409 | 43.16% | 78 | 0.76% | -1,320 | -12.92% | 10,216 |
| Thurston | 23,113 | 48.70% | 23,960 | 50.49% | 383 | 0.81% | 847 | 1.78% | 47,456 |
| Wahkiakum | 574 | 37.94% | 920 | 60.81% | 19 | 1.26% | 346 | 22.87% | 1,513 |
| Walla Walla | 8,173 | 58.45% | 5,729 | 40.97% | 80 | 0.57% | -2,444 | -17.48% | 13,982 |
| Whatcom | 17,879 | 47.97% | 19,123 | 51.31% | 267 | 0.72% | 1,244 | 3.34% | 37,269 |
| Whitman | 6,117 | 55.05% | 4,919 | 44.27% | 75 | 0.68% | -1,198 | -10.78% | 11,111 |
| Yakima | 25,155 | 55.73% | 19,532 | 43.27% | 448 | 0.99% | -5,623 | -12.46% | 45,135 |
| Totals | 650,931 | 48.67% | 677,471 | 50.66% | 8,965 | 0.67% | 26,540 | 1.98% | 1,337,367 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Asotin (Largest city: Clarkston)
- Clark (Largest city: Vancouver)
- Ferry (Largest city: Republic)
- King (Largest city: Seattle)
- Klickitat (Largest city: Goldendale)
- Mason (Largest city: Shelton)
- Pend Oreille (Largest city: Newport)
- Pierce (Largest city: Tacoma)
- Snohomish (Largest city: Everett)
- Thurston (Largest city: Lacey)
- Whatcom (Largest city: Bellingham)
See also
References
- ^ a b Munro, Ralph (November 3, 1986). "Elections Search Results November 1986 General U. S. Senator". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on September 17, 2025. Retrieved January 26, 2026.