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2026 Spokane County elections

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2026 Spokane County elections
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November 3, 2026
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The 2026 Spokane County elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, in Spokane County, Washington, with primary elections for certain offices being held on August 4.[1] Two of the five seats of the Board of County Commissioners are up for election, as well as six of the countywide elected officials, the Sheriff, the Treasurer, the Auditor, the Assessor and the Prosecutor, three of which are open seats.[2]

Board of County Commissioners

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Board of Commissioners election
← 2024
November 3, 2026
2028 →
2 of the 5 districts in the Spokane County Board of Commissioners
3 seats needed for a majority
 
Leader Mary Brooks[a]
(retiring)
Party Republican Democratic
Leader since January 10, 2023
Leader's seat District 4
Current seats 3 2
Seats needed Steady Increase 1
Seats up 1
Races won 1
     Democratic incumbent
     Republican incumbent retiring
     No election
Incumbent Chair

Mary Brooks[b]
Republican


Two of the five seats of the Spokane County Board of Commissioners are up for election to four-year terms. In 2018, the Washington State Legislature passed a law to mandate that Spokane County elect five commissioners instead of the previous three, and that each commissioner have their own district instead of all running as a county-wide slate. As such, this is the first election in which the law fully takes effect.[3]

District 2

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Board of Commissioners election, District 2
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate Amber Waldref
Party Democratic
Incumbent Comissioner

Amber Waldref
Democratic


Amber Waldref was first elected in 2022 with 55% of the vote. She is running for re-election and is uncontested.[4]

Candidates

[edit]
Advanced to general
[edit]
  • Amber Waldref (Democratic), incumbent County Commissioner (2023–present)

Endorsements

[edit]

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of August 19, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Amber Waldref (D) $21,901 $11,467 $10,434
Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission[6]

Results

[edit]
Primary election
[edit]
Nonpartisan primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Amber Waldref 15,644 91.4
Write-in 1,264 7.3
Total votes 16,908 100
General election
[edit]
2026 Spokane County Board of Commissioners, District 2 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Amber Waldref
Total votes

District 4

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Board of Commissioners election, District 4
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate Suzanne Schmidt Rachelle Miller[c]
Party Republican American Independent
Incumbent Comissioner

Mary Brooks (Kuney)
Republican


Incumbent Commissioner Mary Brooks (elected as Mary Kuney), a Republican and the Chair of the Commission, who was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee in 2017 to fill a vacancy, has announced she will not seek re-election.[7] Incumbent Commissioner Amber Waldref has announced she is running for re-election.[8]

Washington State Representative Suzanne Schmidt launched her campaign for Position 4 shortly after Brooks announced her retirement. She was officially uncontested in the primary, however social worker Rachelle Miller ran as a write-in candidate in the primary and secured enough votes to be placed on the general election ballot.[9]

Candidates

[edit]
Advanced to general
[edit]
Declined
[edit]
  • Mary Brooks (formerly Mary Kuney) (Republican), incumbent County Commissioner (2017–present)[7]

Endorsements

[edit]
Suzanne Schmidt (R)
Organizations

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of August 19, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Suzanne Schmidt (R) $50,005 $25,158 $24,847
Rachelle Miller (D) $3,347 $1,054 $2,294
Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission[11]

Results

[edit]
Primary election
[edit]
Nonpartisan primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Suzanne Schmidt 22,128 90.4
Write-in 2,114 8.6
Total votes 24,242 100
General election
[edit]
2026 Spokane County Board of Commissioners, District 4 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Suzanne Schmidt
Democratic Rachelle Miller
Total votes

Auditor

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Auditor election
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate Callie Gee Michael Cathcart
Party Democratic Republican
Incumbent Auditor

Vicky Dalton
Democratic


Incumbent Auditor Vicky Dalton, the only county-wide elected Democrat, is retiring. She has endorsed Republican Spokane city councilman Michael Cathcart.[12]

Candidates

[edit]

Advanced to general

[edit]
  • Michael Cathcart (Republican), Spokane city councilman (2019–present)
  • Callie Gee (Democratic), Vice Chair of the Spokane County Young Democrats

Eliminated in primary

[edit]

Declined

[edit]
  • Vicky Dalton (Democratic), incumbent Auditor

Endorsements

[edit]
Michael Cathcart (R)
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
State senators
County officials
Municipal officials
  • Jonathan Bingle, former Spokane councilman (2020–2025)[16]
  • Betsy Wilkerson, Spokane councilwoman (2020–present) and city council President (2023–present) (Democratic)[16]
  • Ben Stuckart, former city council President (2012–2019) and runner-up for Mayor of Spokane in 2019 (Democratic)[14]
Organizations
Callie Gee (D)
State senators
Organizations
Dale Whitaker (R)
Party officials
State representatives

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of August 19, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Dale Whitaker (R) $63,996 $62,874 $1,122
Michael Cathcart (R) $42,280 $34,493 $7,786
Callie Gee (D) $25,086 $17,463 $7,623
Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission[20]

Results

[edit]
Primary election
[edit]
Nonpartisan primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Callie Gee 65,551 46.1
Republican Michael Cathcart 39,477 27.8
Republican Dale Whitaker 36,837 25.9
Write-in 205 0.1
Total votes 142,070 100
General election
[edit]
2026 Spokane County Auditor election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Callie Gee
Republican Michael Cathcart
Total votes

Clerk

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Clerk election
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate Dave Lucas Elliot Robison
Party Republican Democratic
Incumbent Clerk

Tim Fitzgerald
Republican


Incumbent Tim Fitzgerald retired after serving as County Clerk since 2014. He has endorsed Cheney Court Administrator Dave Lucas to replace him.[21]

Advanced to general

[edit]

Declined

[edit]
  • Tim Fitzgerald (Republican), incumbent Clerk (2014–present)

Endorsements

[edit]
Dave Lucas (R)
State senators
County officials
Organizations

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of August 19, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Elliot Robison (D) $20,444 $17,908 $2,536
Dave Lucas (R) $18,019 $13,172 $4,847
Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission[23]

Results

[edit]
Primary election
[edit]
Nonpartisan primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dave Lucas 73,294 51.8
Democratic Elliot Robison 67,795 48.0
Write-in 245 0.2
Total votes 141,334 100
General election
[edit]
2026 Spokane County Clerk election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dave Lucas
Democratic Elliot Robison
Total votes

Sheriff

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Sheriff election
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate John Nowels
Party Republican
Incumbent Sheriff

John Nowels


Incumbent Sheriff John Nowels was elected in 2022 with 57.82% of the vote.[4] He is running for re-election unopposed.[24]

Candidates

[edit]

Advanced to general

[edit]
  • John Nowels (Republican), incumbent Sheriff (2023–present)

Endorsements

[edit]
John Nowels (R)
State representatives

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of August 19, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
John Nowels (R) $62,169 $17,319 $44,850
Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission[26]

Results

[edit]
Primary election
[edit]
Nonpartisan primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Nowels 94,039 91.4
Write-in 6,520 6.5
Total votes 100,559 100
General election
[edit]
2026 Spokane County Sheriff election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Nowels
Total votes

Prosecuting Attorney

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney election
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate Preston McCollam Danny Tarkenton
Party Republican No party preference
Incumbent Prosecuting Attorney

Preston McCollam[d]
Republican


Incumbent Prosecuting Attorney Larry Haskell resigned on July 18, 2025, citing his age. The Spokane County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Chief Criminal Prosecuting Attorney Preston McCollam to fill the vacancy.[27] He is running for a full term.[28]

Steve Garvin, an assistant Washington Attorney General attempted to get the appointment for prosecutor after incumbent Haskell resigned and announced his intention to run against McCollam for a full term, raising over $23,000 in campaign contributins. However, he later withdrew for unknown reasons.[22]

On April 20, 2026, former deputy prosecutor Danny Tarkenton announced her candidacy for Prosecuting Attorney. Notably, she is running as independent with no Democrats in the race. However, almost all elected Democrats and liberal-leaning organizations are supporting her. This is in an effort by the Democratic Party to win traditionally unwinnable, red areas by running candidates under an independent lable.[28]

On August 4, 2026, both candidates advanced to the general, with an extremely close result, 51-49 McCollam to Tarkenton. Initially, Tarkenton lead with just over 50%, by the end of ballot counting, McCollam closed the gap. This was the closest race among all primary elections in the county.[29]

Candidates

[edit]

Advanced to general

[edit]
  • Preston McCollam (Republican), incumbent Prosecuting Attorney (2025–present)[30]
  • Danny Tarkenton (No party preference), former Spokane County deputy prosecutor[31]

Withdrawn

[edit]

Declined

[edit]
  • Larry Haskell (Republican), former Prosecuting Attorney (2015–2025)[32]

Endorsements

[edit]
Preston McCollam (R)
U.S. Executive branch officials
U.S. representatives
State senators
County officials
Labor unions
  • Spokane County Sheriff's Association[33]
  • Spokane Police Guild[33]
Danny Tarkenton (NPP)
State representatives
Organizations

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of August 19, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Preston McCollam (R) $95,428 $38,363 $57,065
Steve Garvin (R)[e] $23,136 $23,136 $0
Danny Tarkenton (NPP) $20,198 $26,098 –$8,900
Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission[35]

Results

[edit]
Primary election
[edit]
Nonpartisan primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Preston McCollam 69,504 50.6
No party preference Danny Tarkenton 67,123 48.7
Write-in 685 0.5
Total votes 142,070 100
General election
[edit]
2026 Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Preston McCollam
No party preference Danny Tarkenton
Total votes

Treasurer

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Treasurer election
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate Mike Volz
Party Republican
Incumbent Treasurer

Mike Volz [f]
Republican


Incumbent Treasurer Michael Baumgartner resigned on January 3, 2025 after he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. Under Washington State law, the local county Republican Party nominates three individuals for appointment to the Board of County Commissioners. Baumgartner had originally endorsed Matt Hanson for the appointment process to succeed him, but he later withdrew, citing that he had "too much work coming up this year."

On February 3, 2026, Mike Volz, the Deputy Treasurer and state representative was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to fill the vacancy.[36]

Volz is running for a full term. He is uncontested.

Candidates

[edit]

Advanced to general

[edit]

Withdrawn

[edit]
  • Matt Hanson (Republican), businessman
  • Mike Kelly (Republican), bussinessman (ran for Spokane Valley city council)[37]

Endorsements

[edit]
Matt Hanson (R) (withdrawn)
U.S. representatives

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of August 19, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Mike Volz (R) $280 $3,698 –$3,417
Michael Baumgartner (R)[g] $32 $$2,919 –$2,887
Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission[38]

Results

[edit]
Primary election
[edit]
Nonpartisan primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Volz 93,706 93.2
Write-in 5,833 5.8
Total votes 100,559 100
General election
[edit]
2026 Spokane County Treasurer election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Volz
Total votes

Assessor

[edit]
2026 Spokane County Assessor election
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Candidate Tom Konis
Party Republican
Incumbent Assessor

Tom Konis
Republican


Incumbent Assessor Tom Konis was re-elected in 2022 unopposed with 95% of the vote.[4] He is running for re-election.

Candidates

[edit]

Declared

[edit]
  • Tom Konis (Republican), incumbent Assessor (2018–present)[22]

Fundraising

[edit]
Campaign finance reports as of August 19, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Tom Konis (R) $0 $0 $0
Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission[39]

Results

[edit]
Primary election
[edit]
Nonpartisan primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Konis 92,796 93.6
Write-in 5,986 6.0
Total votes 98,782 100
General election
[edit]
2026 Spokane County Assessor election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Konis
Total votes

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ formerly Mary Kuney
  2. ↑ formerly Mary Kuney
  3. ↑ Ran as a write-in candidate during the primary, garnered enough votes to qualify for the general election ballot
  4. ↑ McCollam was unanimously appointed Prosecuting Attorney on September 9, 2025 by the Board of County Commissioners after incumbent Larry Haskell resigned
  5. ↑ Withdrawn candidate
  6. ↑ Volz was unanimously appointed Treasurer on February 3, 2026 by the Board of County Commissioners to replace Michael Baumgartner, who resigned to become U.S. representative
  7. ↑ Withdrawn candidate

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Dates and Deadlines 2026". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved March 18, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ Gibson, Nick (January 6, 2026). "Spokane County Commission leadership continues for fourth consecutive year, despite odd interaction during vote". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 18, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Tiernan, Colin (December 7, 2021). "Five Spokane County commissioner seats are up for grabs in 2022, and here's who might be running". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 18, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 1 2 3 "Current Election Results". Spokane County Elections. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 https://bluevoterguide.org/WA/candidate_Amber_Waldref/370762
  6. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov.
  7. 1 2 3 Gibson, Nick (February 10, 2026). "Spokane County commissioner gets new name and won't seek re-election". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  8. ↑ Appel, Emmalee (March 11, 2026). "Spokane County Commissioner Amber Waldref seeking 2026 reelection". KREM (TV).{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. 1 2 https://voterachelle.com/updates.html
  10. 1 2 "Endorsements". Mainstream Republicans of Washington.
  11. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov.
  12. 1 2 Dinman, Emry (May 28, 2025). "Spokane Councilman Michael Cathcart announces 2026 bid for county auditor". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 18, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. 1 2 "Candidates, including 2 Republicans for Spokane County auditor, dive in as filing week begins". Spokesman.com. May 5, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 "Michael Cathcart". Ballotpedia.
  15. 1 2 3 https://www.inlander.com/news/three-candidates-hope-to-make-it-past-the-primary-in-the-race-for-spokane-county/article_dd6003e3-e643-4c95-883d-5e13fb55636a.html
  16. 1 2 "Likely illegal, AI-generated attack ad depicts Republican Michael Cathcart as a liberal villain". Spokesman.com. June 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Callie Gee". Ballotpedia.
  18. ↑ "Spokane Young Democrats". Spokane Young Dems.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Dale Whitaker". Ballotpedia.
  20. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 "Voter Guide Profile for WA State Senator, Dist. 3 candidate - Dave Lucas".
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 "Spokane County offices yield little competition in 2026 races". Spokesman.com. May 13, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov.
  24. ↑ Uppendahl, Grace (March 4, 2026). "Sheriff John Nowels announces reelection campaign for Spokane County Sheriff". KREM (TV). Retrieved March 18, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ↑ https://ballotpedia.org/John_Nowels
  26. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov.
  27. ↑ Gibson, Nick (June 10, 2025). "Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell retiring after a decade as Spokane County's top legal representative". The Spokesman-Review.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. 1 2 "Race to be Spokane County prosecutor heats up with third, Independent, candidate entering the fray". Spokesman.com. July 26, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Jasmin moves into first in 3rd District race; STA tax proposal still ahead". Spokesman.com. August 7, 2026.
  30. ↑ McCollam, Preston. "Preston McCollam for Spokane County Prosecutor". Preston McCollam for Spokane County Prosecutor.
  31. ↑ "Danny Tarkenton | Independent For Spokane County Prosecutor 2026". Danny for Prosecutor.
  32. ↑ "Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell retiring after a decade as Spokane County's top legal representative". Spokesman.com. June 10, 2025.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Preston McCollam". Ballotpedia.
  34. 1 2 "Danny Tarkenton". Ballotpedia.
  35. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov.
  36. 1 2 Gibson, Nick (January 8, 2026). "Who will replace Michael Baumgartner? Spokane County GOP releases names, questionnaires for potential new Spokane County treasurer". The Spokesman-Review.
  37. ↑ Ansures, Taylar (November 4, 2025). "Mike Kelly leads Spokane Valley Position 1 City Council race against Kristopher Pockell". KXLY kxly.com.
  38. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov.
  39. ↑ "Candidate Finance Report | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)". www.pdc.wa.gov.
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