As a crowded August primary looms, Washington Supreme Court candidates are making their pitch to voters ahead of the 2026 election that could decide the fate of a new income tax.
The 9.9% tax on annual household income over $1 million is facing a constitutional challenge that will likely reach the high court in the next year or so, as 16 candidates face off for five seats on the bench.
The Office of the Secretary of State confirmed in an email to The Center Square on Tuesday that voter guides will be published by June 18 with candidate profiles written by each campaign. TVW, the state’s public affairs network, published a video guide on June 1 for 11 of the 14 people on the August ballot.
The two candidates with the most votes in each race in the August primary will advance to the general election.
Ian Birk and Sean O’Donnell, two judges competing to replace outgoing Justice Charles Johnson, have already advanced to the November general election, since they were the only ones to file for Position 4.
The other four positions will see a contested election this summer, with three candidates campaigning for Position 1, three for Position 3, four for Position 5 and four for Position 7.
Two incumbents, Justices Colleen Melody and Theo Angelis, joined the court this year after being appointed by Gov. Bob Ferguson.
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