1980 Snohomish County Executive special election
November 5, 1980
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Washington (state) |
|---|
 |
The 1980 Snohomish County Executive special election took place on March 11, 1980, following a primary election on February 5, 1980, to elect the first county executive of Snohomish County, Washington. On November 6, 1979, voters approved a home rule charter that created an elected County Executive and a five-member County Council,[1] abolishing the three-member County Commission as of May 1, 1980.[2]
Four candidates ran in the election: former newspaper editor Willis Tucker, a Democrat; Republican State Representative Gary A. Nelson, perennial candidate John Patric, a Republican; and housewife Louise Saluteen, an independent. In the primary election, Tucker placed first with 47 percent, and Nelson won the Republican nomination over Patric in a landslide, winning 41 percent of the vote to Patric's 4 percent, while Saluteen won 8 percent of the vote.[3]
Tucker ultimately won the general election by a narrow margin, receiving 49 percent of the vote to Nelson's 44 percent and Saluteen's 7 percent, though Republicans won a majority on the County Council.[4]
Primary election
Candidates
- Willis Tucker, former editor of the Everett Herald Western Sun edition (Democratic)[5]
- Gary A. Nelson, State Representative (Republican)[6]
- Louise Saluteen, housewife (independent)[7]
- John Patric, perennial candidate (Republican)[8]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Willis Tucker | 10,880 | 46.51% | |
| Republican | Gary A. Nelson | 9,702 | 41.47% | |
| Independent | Louise Saluteen | 1,763 | 7.54% | |
| Republican | John Patric | 1,050 | 4.49% | |
| Total votes | 23,395 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Willis Tucker | 13,085 | 48.74% | ||
| Republican | Gary A. Nelson | 11,852 | 44.15% | ||
| Independent | Louise Saluteen | 1,910 | 7.11% | ||
| Total votes | 26,847 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic win (new seat) | |||||
References
- ↑ Pyle, Jack (November 7, 1979). "Thurston County charter defeated". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. p. A-12. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Benbow, Mike (March 10, 1980). "County's No. 1 job is up to the voters Tuesday for 1st time". The Everett Herald. p. 1A. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Benbow, Mike (February 6, 1980). "3 remain in county executive race". The Everett Herald. p. 1A. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Benbow, Mike (March 12, 1980). "County winners: Tucker, GOP pair". The Everett Herald. p. 1A. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Tucker will run for exec". The Everett Herald. December 3, 1979. p. 6A. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Benbow, Mike (December 6, 1979). "State representative seeks county executive post". The Everett Herald. p. 10F. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Benbow, Mike (March 6, 1980). "Louise Saluteen". The Everett Herald. p. 3A. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Benbow, Mike (December 22, 1979). "The candidates speak". The Everett Herald. p. 10D. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "OFFICIAL SPECIAL PRIMARY VOTE TOTALS". Snohomish County Auditor. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ↑ "OFFICIAL SPECIAL GENERAL RESULTS". Snohomish County Auditor. Retrieved July 31, 2025.