82.1% of District Court races in Washington since 2014 had only one candidate. This is the court most people actually encounter.
Nonpartisan elected office · contest rates 2014–2025
82.1%
of the 291 District Court races since 2014 had a single candidate
(239 of 291)
(239 of 291)
What this court does
County courts of limited jurisdiction: misdemeanors, DUIs, traffic, small claims, protection orders and civil disputes under $100,000.
This is the court most people actually encounter.
Money in the 2026 races
- Candidates filed55
- Total raised$677,005
- Contributions1,169
- Average gift$579
2026 candidates
| Candidate | District / position |
|---|---|
| Alexandrea C Schodowski (Alex Schodowski) | — |
| Andrew Repanich | Judge Position No. 1 |
| Anthony E. Howard (Anthony Howard) | Judge Position 1 |
| Bardi David Martin (Bardi Martin) | Judge Position No. 1 |
| Benjamin Santos Iii (Ben Santos) | — |
| Bianca Kwok Tse (Bianca Tse) | Judge Position 1 |
| Byron James Moore (Byron Moore) | — |
| Carolyn M. Jewett-platts (Carolyn Jewett-platts) | — |
| Christopher Allen Eastwood (Christopher Eastwood) | District Court Judge Position 3 |
| Claire Rebecca Sussman (Claire Sussman) | District Court No. 2 |
| David L. Mistachkin (David Leonard Mistachkin) | District Court #2 |
| Deanna K Crull (Deanna Kathleen Crull) | District Court Judge 2 |
| Denice Emily Gagner (Denice Gagner) | Judge Position 6 |
| Elizabeth (Beth) A. Fraser (Beth Fraser) | Judge Position 1 |
| Eric J. Lawless | District Court No. 7 |
| Fa’amomoi P. Masaniai, Jr. (Fa’amomoi Masaniai, Jr.) | Judge Position No. 4 |
| George A. Steele (George Alan Steele) | — |
| Gina A. Tveit | — |
| Harry S. Steinmetz (Harry Steinmetz) | Judge Position No. 4 |
| Heather M. Barker (Heather Barker) | Judge Position No. 5 |
| Holly Pederson Duffy (Holly Pederson Duffy) | — |
| Jan Trasen | Judge Position 1 |
| Janelle Carman-wagner | District Court Judge – Part Time |
| Jeffrey David Goodwin (Jeffrey D. Goodwin) | Judge Position 2 |
| Jenifer G. Howson (Jenifer Howson) | District Court Judge Position 3 |
| Jennifer Jo Rancourt (Jennifer Rancourt) | District Court Judge Position 1 |
| John Bangerter (John Andrew Bangerter) | Judge Pos. 2 |
| Jonathan Rands | District Court Judge Position 2 |
| Joshua Schaer (Josh Schaer) | Judge Position 1 |
| Karama H. Hawkins (Karama Hawkins) | Judge Position No. 2 |
| Kevin Peck | Judge Position 4 |
| Megan M. Valentine (Megan Valentine) | District Court #2 |
| Michael Colin Valerien (Mike (Michael) Valerien) | District Court Judge 2 |
| Michael J. Rio (Michael "Mike" Rio) | District Court Judge 1 |
| Michael L. Sommerfeld (Mike Sommerfeld) | District Court No. 7 |
| Michael Robert Addams (Michael R Addams) | District Court Judge 4 |
| Mitch Greene | Judge Position No. 3 |
| Neil Horibe | District Court No. 4 |
| Nicholas R. Ulrich (Nicholas Ulrich) | District Court Judge 4 |
| Nicole G. Knowles | District Court Judge Position 3 |
| Noel Merfeld | Judge Position No. 5 |
| Nyjat Rose-akins | Judge Position No. 1 |
| Pamella Nogueira (Pam Nogueira) | District Court No. 7 |
| Patricia Lyon | Judge Position 2 |
| Patrick A. Eason (Patrick Eason) | District Court Judge Position 1 |
| Patrick D. Murphy (Patrick David Murphy) | — |
| Paul D. Wohl (Paul Wohl) | District Court Judge Pos. 3 |
| Peter Peaquin | Judge Position 7 |
| Quita N. J. St. John (Quita St. John) | Judge Position No. 3 |
| Rachelle Francis | District Court Judge Position 2 |
| Raul Robert Martinez (Raul Martinez) | Judge Position No. 1 |
| Renee Glenda Walls (Renee G. Walls) | Judge Position No. 5 |
| Ronald Andrew Malcolm Costeck (Ronald A. Costeck) | — |
| Sven Nelson | District Court No. 8 |
| Tricia Johnson (Tricia Grove Johnson) | Judge Position No. 3 |
What we can’t tell you yet — and nobody else can either.
This page covers who is running, who is unopposed, and who is paying. It does not
cover how these judges have actually ruled, because no public dataset of Washington
court opinions has been compiled for that purpose. We are working on it. Until then,
the honest position is that voters are being asked to fill judicial seats with almost
no information about judicial behaviour.