PolitiFinder

1980 Washington Gubernatorial Election

Washington · 2 candidates · See every 1980 Governor race

Who won the 1980 Washington Gubernatorial Election?

John Spellman won the 1980 Washington Gubernatorial Election. John Spellman received 981,083 popular votes (56.68%). The main challenger was Jim McDermott (43.32%).

See the full head-to-head between Spellman and McDermott

Spellman +13.4 pts · won by 231,270 votes
John SpellmanRepublicanWINNER56.68%
981,083 votes
Jim McDermottDemocratic43.32%
749,813 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.