2020 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

2020 United States presidential election in Washington (state)
Turnout	84.11% (of registered voters) 5.35%
President before election; Donald Trump; Republican	Elected President ; Joe Biden; Democratic

The 2020 United States presidential election in Washington was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia participated.^[2] Washington voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate California Senator Kamala Harris. Washington has 12 electoral votes in the Electoral College.^[3]

Prior to the election, most news organizations forecast Washington as a state that Biden would win, or a safe blue state. Biden won the state by 19.2%, the largest margin for a presidential candidate of any party since 1964. He also flipped the swing county of Clallam, which now holds the record for the longest ongoing streak of voting for the national winner, having supported the winning candidate in every election since 1980. Biden also became the candidate with the highest vote total in the state's history, with 2,369,612 votes.^[4] This was the first time since 1988 that Washington voted to the left of Illinois.

The Seattle metropolitan area, home to almost two-thirds of the state's population, is overwhelmingly Democratic. Despite this, even if the votes from King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties were removed, Biden would have carried the state by over 4,000 votes.^[5] However, Trump won a considerable majority in outlying communities, garnering over 70% of the vote in rural counties such as Columbia. Eastern Washington is very rural and leans Republican, partly due to the strong tinge of social conservatism it shares with neighboring Idaho, a GOP stronghold. That said, Biden was able to improve on Clinton's margin in Whitman County--anchored by the college town of Pullman--increasing it from 4.1% in 2016 to 10.2% in 2020, the best performance for a Democrat in the county since 1936. In addition, he narrowed Trump's margin in Spokane County from 8.4% to 4.3%. Biden earned 75% of the vote in King County, home to Seattle. This was the largest margin by any candidate in a presidential race since the county's creation.^[6]

Per exit polls by the Associated Press, Biden's strength in Washington came from 59% among white voters, 73% among Latinos and 79% among Asian-Americans. 34% of voters were irreligious and supported Biden by 78%.^[7] Additionally, a majority of Native Americans in the state backed Biden by about 65%, with some tribes supporting Biden by over 80%.^[8] Biden also became the first Democrat since Washington's admission into the union to win the presidency without winning Mason County, the first Democrat since John F. Kennedy in 1960 to prevail without winning Cowlitz County, and the first Democrat since Woodrow Wilson in 1916 to prevail without winning Grays Harbor County and Pacific County.

^ "November 3, 2020 General Election - Voter Turnout".
^ Kelly, Ben (August 13, 2018). "US elections key dates: When are the 2018 midterms and the 2020 presidential campaign?". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
^ "Distribution of Electoral Votes". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
^ Farley, Josh (November 7, 2020). "What does Clallam County know? Voters just chose a winner for the tenth straight election". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
^ "Washington Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020.
^ "Washington Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020.
^ "Washington Voter Surveys: How Different Groups Voted". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
^ Brazile, Liz; Browning, Paige (November 16, 2020). "This is why Native American voters in Washington state rallied behind Joe Biden". KUOW-FM. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2021.

[1] "November 3, 2020 General Election - Voter Turnout".

[2] Kelly, Ben (August 13, 2018). "US elections key dates: When are the 2018 midterms and the 2020 presidential campaign?". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.

[3] "Distribution of Electoral Votes". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 3, 2019.

[4] Farley, Josh (November 7, 2020). "What does Clallam County know? Voters just chose a winner for the tenth straight election". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved November 14, 2020.

[5] "Washington Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020.

[6] "Washington Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020.

[7] "Washington Voter Surveys: How Different Groups Voted". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2020.

[8] Brazile, Liz; Browning, Paige (November 16, 2020). "This is why Native American voters in Washington state rallied behind Joe Biden". KUOW-FM. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2021.

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