The contest is a special election to fill the remaining two years of GOP Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s term; she departed last year to take an election security post in President Joe Biden’s administration. The winner of the office – which among other duties oversees Washington’s election system – will face an election in 2024 for a full term.
Gov. Jay Inslee last autumn appointed Hobbs, a moderate Democrat and former state lawmaker from Snohomish County who is also a lieutenant colonel in the Washington National Guard. Hobbs, who had no election management experience before his appointment, has played up his national security and management experience.
On the flip
