2004 Washington Insurance Commissioner election
November 2, 2004
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Kreidler: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Adams: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||
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The 2004 Washington Insurance Commissioner election was held on November 2, 2004, to elect the insurance commissioner of Washington, concurrently with the 2004 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the U.S. Senate and various state and local elections, including for U.S. House and governor of Washington. Primary elections took place on September 14.[1]
Incumbent Democratic Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler was re-elected to a second term in a landslide.[2]
Background
Incumbent Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, first elected in 2000, ran for re-election to a second term in office.[3]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mike Kreidler, incumbent insurance commissioner (2001–2025)[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Kreidler (incumbent) | 609,264 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 609,264 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Adams, insurance broker[3]
Eliminated in primary
- Earl C. Dennis[3]
- Curtis Fackler, chairman of the Spokane County Republican Party[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Adams | 223,345 | 55.21% | |
| Republican | Earl C. Dennis | 100,812 | 24.92% | |
| Republican | Curtis Fackler | 80,394 | 19.87% | |
| Total votes | 404,551 | 100.00% | ||
By county
| County[4] | John Adams | Earl C. Dennis | Curtis Fackler | Margin | Total votes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 895 | 62.85% | 303 | 21.28% | 226 | 15.87% | 592 | 41.57% | 1,424 |
| Asotin | 845 | 56.33% | 392 | 26.13% | 263 | 17.53% | 453 | 30.20% | 1,500 |
| Benton | 8,327 | 62.10% | 2,871 | 21.41% | 2,210 | 16.48% | 5,456 | 40.69% | 13,408 |
| Chelan | 2,635 | 57.50% | 1,201 | 26.21% | 747 | 16.30% | 1,434 | 31.29% | 4,583 |
| Clallam | 3,617 | 61.56% | 1,535 | 26.12% | 724 | 12.32% | 2,082 | 35.43% | 5,876 |
| Clark | 11,022 | 54.32% | 4,475 | 22.05% | 4,794 | 23.63% | 6,228 | 30.69% | 20,291 |
| Columbia | 352 | 64.00% | 133 | 24.18% | 65 | 11.82% | 219 | 39.82% | 550 |
| Cowlitz | 2,264 | 54.44% | 1,305 | 31.38% | 590 | 14.19% | 959 | 23.06% | 4,159 |
| Douglas | 1,754 | 58.78% | 766 | 25.67% | 464 | 15.55% | 988 | 33.11% | 2,984 |
| Ferry | 501 | 59.57% | 221 | 26.28% | 119 | 14.15% | 280 | 33.29% | 841 |
| Franklin | 1,991 | 60.61% | 794 | 24.17% | 500 | 15.22% | 1,197 | 36.44% | 3,285 |
| Garfield | 200 | 59.00% | 68 | 20.06% | 71 | 20.94% | 129 | 38.05% | 339 |
| Grant | 3,173 | 56.56% | 1,517 | 27.04% | 920 | 16.40% | 1,656 | 29.52% | 5,610 |
| Grays Harbor | 1,815 | 66.61% | 579 | 21.25% | 331 | 12.15% | 1,236 | 45.36% | 2,725 |
| Island | 3,966 | 58.65% | 1,765 | 26.10% | 1,031 | 15.25% | 2,201 | 32.55% | 6,762 |
| Jefferson | 1,360 | 59.26% | 609 | 26.54% | 326 | 14.20% | 751 | 32.72% | 2,295 |
| King | 51,090 | 51.29% | 25,827 | 25.93% | 22,690 | 22.78% | 25,263 | 25.36% | 99,607 |
| Kitsap | 10,069 | 52.34% | 4,812 | 25.01% | 4,357 | 22.65% | 5,257 | 27.33% | 19,238 |
| Kittitas | 1,800 | 58.33% | 665 | 21.55% | 621 | 20.12% | 1,135 | 36.78% | 3,086 |
| Klickitat | 684 | 61.07% | 269 | 24.02% | 167 | 14.91% | 415 | 37.05% | 1,120 |
| Lewis | 3,740 | 64.21% | 1,234 | 21.18% | 851 | 14.61% | 2,506 | 43.02% | 5,825 |
| Lincoln | 888 | 57.81% | 387 | 25.20% | 261 | 16.99% | 501 | 32.62% | 1,536 |
| Mason | 2,181 | 61.78% | 762 | 21.59% | 587 | 16.63% | 1,419 | 40.20% | 3,530 |
| Okanogan | 2,415 | 66.20% | 766 | 21.00% | 467 | 12.80% | 1,649 | 45.20% | 3,648 |
| Pacific | 762 | 61.01% | 326 | 26.10% | 161 | 12.89% | 436 | 34.91% | 1,249 |
| Pend Oreille | 854 | 55.60% | 428 | 27.86% | 254 | 16.54% | 426 | 27.73% | 1,536 |
| Pierce | 24,467 | 52.00% | 11,352 | 24.13% | 11,231 | 23.87% | 13,115 | 27.87% | 47,050 |
| San Juan | 600 | 24.39% | 1,477 | 60.04% | 383 | 15.57% | -877 | -35.65% | 2,460 |
| Skagit | 4,466 | 56.28% | 2,069 | 26.07% | 1,400 | 17.64% | 2,397 | 30.21% | 7,935 |
| Skamania | 459 | 56.95% | 195 | 24.19% | 152 | 18.86% | 264 | 32.75% | 806 |
| Snohomish | 20,461 | 52.45% | 11,339 | 29.07% | 7,207 | 18.48% | 9,122 | 23.39% | 39,007 |
| Spokane | 22,644 | 58.60% | 8,005 | 20.72% | 7,990 | 20.68% | 14,639 | 37.89% | 38,639 |
| Stevens | 2,696 | 62.57% | 969 | 22.49% | 644 | 14.95% | 1,727 | 40.08% | 4,309 |
| Thurston | 8,271 | 60.66% | 3,120 | 22.88% | 2,243 | 16.45% | 5,151 | 37.78% | 13,634 |
| Wahkiakum | 136 | 59.39% | 71 | 31.00% | 22 | 9.61% | 65 | 28.38% | 229 |
| Walla Walla | 3,096 | 61.14% | 1,219 | 24.07% | 749 | 14.79% | 1,877 | 37.07% | 5,064 |
| Whatcom | 6,668 | 60.67% | 2,459 | 22.37% | 1,864 | 16.96% | 4,209 | 38.29% | 10,991 |
| Whitman | 1,819 | 57.93% | 788 | 25.10% | 533 | 16.97% | 1,031 | 32.83% | 3,140 |
| Yakima | 8,362 | 58.56% | 3,739 | 26.18% | 2,179 | 15.26% | 4,623 | 32.37% | 14,280 |
| Totals | 223,345 | 55.21% | 100,812 | 24.92% | 80,394 | 19.87% | 122,533 | 30.29% | 404,551 |
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Stephen D. Steele[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Stephen D. Steele | 12,606 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 12,606 | 100.00% | ||
| Elections in Washington (state) |
|---|
General election
Endorsements
Mike Kreidler (D)
- Newspapers
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Kreidler (incumbent) | 1,393,764 | 54.45 | ||
| Republican | John Adams | 1,058,583 | 41.36 | ||
| Libertarian | Stephen D. Steele | 107,295 | 4.19 | ||
| Total votes | 2,559,642 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
| County[7] | Mike Kreidler Democratic |
John Adams Republican |
Stephen D. Steele Libertarian |
Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,494 | 32.78% | 2,944 | 64.59% | 120 | 2.63% | -1,450 | -31.81% | 4,558 |
| Asotin | 3,377 | 42.90% | 4,145 | 52.65% | 350 | 4.45% | -768 | -9.76% | 7,872 |
| Benton | 21,625 | 36.57% | 35,226 | 59.57% | 2,285 | 3.86% | -13,601 | -23.00% | 59,136 |
| Chelan | 10,140 | 38.47% | 15,148 | 57.47% | 1,069 | 4.06% | -5,008 | -19.00% | 26,357 |
| Clallam | 15,916 | 50.34% | 14,084 | 44.55% | 1,614 | 5.11% | 1,832 | 5.79% | 31,614 |
| Clark | 73,022 | 48.49% | 70,711 | 46.96% | 6,860 | 4.56% | 2,311 | 1.53% | 150,593 |
| Columbia | 623 | 34.03% | 1,134 | 61.93% | 74 | 4.04% | -511 | -27.91% | 1,831 |
| Cowlitz | 21,030 | 54.76% | 15,507 | 40.38% | 1,864 | 4.85% | 5,523 | 14.38% | 38,401 |
| Douglas | 4,404 | 36.55% | 7,224 | 59.95% | 422 | 3.50% | -2,820 | -23.40% | 12,050 |
| Ferry | 1,204 | 41.04% | 1,563 | 53.27% | 167 | 5.69% | -359 | -12.24% | 2,934 |
| Franklin | 5,393 | 37.15% | 8,554 | 58.93% | 568 | 3.91% | -3,161 | -21.78% | 14,515 |
| Garfield | 356 | 31.87% | 719 | 64.37% | 42 | 3.76% | -363 | -32.50% | 1,117 |
| Grant | 8,009 | 34.05% | 14,508 | 61.67% | 1,007 | 4.28% | -6,499 | -27.63% | 23,524 |
| Grays Harbor | 14,431 | 57.00% | 9,753 | 38.52% | 1,135 | 4.48% | 4,678 | 18.48% | 25,319 |
| Island | 16,629 | 49.03% | 15,961 | 47.06% | 1,325 | 3.91% | 668 | 1.97% | 33,915 |
| Jefferson | 10,437 | 61.56% | 5,681 | 33.51% | 836 | 4.93% | 4,756 | 28.05% | 16,954 |
| King | 505,918 | 64.37% | 248,662 | 31.64% | 31,360 | 3.99% | 257,256 | 32.73% | 785,940 |
| Kitsap | 57,996 | 53.24% | 46,221 | 42.43% | 4,717 | 4.33% | 11,775 | 10.81% | 108,934 |
| Kittitas | 6,444 | 44.90% | 7,258 | 50.57% | 649 | 4.52% | -814 | -5.67% | 14,351 |
| Klickitat | 3,688 | 45.38% | 3,984 | 49.02% | 455 | 5.60% | -296 | -3.64% | 8,127 |
| Lewis | 11,368 | 40.28% | 15,534 | 55.04% | 1,320 | 4.68% | -4,166 | -14.76% | 28,222 |
| Lincoln | 1,736 | 35.07% | 2,983 | 60.26% | 231 | 4.67% | -1,247 | -25.19% | 4,950 |
| Mason | 12,170 | 53.47% | 9,498 | 41.73% | 1,094 | 4.81% | 2,672 | 11.74% | 22,762 |
| Okanogan | 5,781 | 40.73% | 7,580 | 53.41% | 832 | 5.86% | -1,799 | -12.68% | 14,193 |
| Pacific | 5,083 | 56.00% | 3,542 | 39.02% | 452 | 4.98% | 1,541 | 16.98% | 9,077 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,334 | 41.97% | 2,882 | 51.83% | 345 | 6.20% | -548 | -9.85% | 5,561 |
| Pierce | 153,367 | 53.31% | 123,520 | 42.94% | 10,803 | 3.76% | 29,847 | 10.37% | 287,690 |
| San Juan | 5,534 | 62.05% | 2,828 | 31.71% | 556 | 6.23% | 2,706 | 30.34% | 8,918 |
| Skagit | 24,066 | 50.82% | 21,174 | 44.71% | 2,118 | 4.47% | 2,892 | 6.11% | 47,358 |
| Skamania | 2,215 | 48.78% | 2,032 | 44.75% | 294 | 6.47% | 183 | 4.03% | 4,541 |
| Snohomish | 146,910 | 54.42% | 112,157 | 41.55% | 10,868 | 4.03% | 34,753 | 12.87% | 269,935 |
| Spokane | 84,058 | 45.86% | 91,085 | 49.69% | 8,162 | 4.45% | -7,027 | -3.83% | 183,305 |
| Stevens | 6,542 | 36.54% | 10,369 | 57.92% | 991 | 5.54% | -3,827 | -21.38% | 17,902 |
| Thurston | 62,758 | 61.13% | 35,877 | 34.94% | 4,036 | 3.93% | 26,881 | 26.18% | 102,671 |
| Wahkiakum | 916 | 48.52% | 852 | 45.13% | 120 | 6.36% | 64 | 3.39% | 1,888 |
| Walla Walla | 8,127 | 40.18% | 11,361 | 56.17% | 737 | 3.64% | -3,234 | -15.99% | 20,225 |
| Whatcom | 42,093 | 53.24% | 33,103 | 41.87% | 3,869 | 4.89% | 8,990 | 11.37% | 79,065 |
| Whitman | 7,234 | 46.09% | 7,724 | 49.21% | 738 | 4.70% | -490 | -3.12% | 15,696 |
| Yakima | 29,336 | 43.37% | 35,495 | 52.48% | 2,810 | 4.15% | -6,159 | -9.11% | 67,641 |
| Totals | 1,393,764 | 54.45% | 1,058,583 | 41.36% | 107,295 | 4.19% | 335,181 | 13.09% | 2,559,642 |
References
- ^ https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2004/sep/08/reed-asks-voters-to-participate-in-state-primaries/
- ^ https://www.businessinsurance.com/incumbent-regulators-re-elected-in-four-states/
- ^ a b c d e https://dailyastorian.com/2004/09/12/democrat-challenges-incumbent-for-pacific-county-commission/
- ^ a b c d Reed, Sam (September 14, 2004). "Elections Search Results September 2004 Primary". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2004/aug/03/accuracy-watch/
- ^ Editorial Board, The Seattle Times (October 31, 2004). "The Seattle Times endorses ..." The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ a b Reed, Sam (November 2, 2004). "Elections Search Results November 2004 General Insurance Commissioner". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved January 30, 2026.