Hawk leads in state Supreme Court Position 3 race

Jaime Michelle Hawk held 1,061,813 votes, or 57.7%, to David Stevens' 770,857 votes, or 41.9%, in the race for Washington State Supreme Court Position 3, according to unofficial results from the Washington Secretary of State last updated at 8:37 p.m. on Nov. 3.

The count is not complete. Of 39 reporting units, 31 had reported, with 1,838,677 votes counted. Hawk led by 290,956 votes, a margin of 15.8 percentage points.

Eight reporting units had not yet reported as of the last update. More votes will be counted in the coming days as mail ballots continue to arrive, according to the Washington State Standard.

What was at stake

The Washington Supreme Court is the state's highest court and has the final say on questions of state law, according to Yahoo News. Judicial races in Washington are nonpartisan. The seat carries a six-year term.

Five of the court's nine seats appeared on the Nov. 3 ballot. That is the first time in recent history a majority of seats have been up at once, according to Yahoo News. The number stems from a combination of retirements and regularly scheduled elections.

The key issues:

• Stevens, a Mason County Superior Court judge, described himself as a strict constructionist who believes the state constitution should be interpreted based on its text and original meaning, "not on evolving societal standards," according to Yahoo News.
• Hawk, a King County Superior Court judge, emphasized judicial independence, constitutional rights and the rule of law in explaining her candidacy, according to Yahoo News. Her legal career included work as a state and federal public defender and an attorney with the ACLU of Washington.
• The race will help determine whether the court shifts in judicial philosophy, with five seats on the ballot in a single election cycle.

A little history

Position 3 is open because Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, who has held the seat since 2020, is not seeking reelection, according to Yahoo News.

Stevens, 64, of Shelton, served in the U.S. Navy, worked as a federal civil-rights investigator and spent more than two decades as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, according to The Spokesman-Review.

He was elected to Mason County Superior Court in 2023, defeating an incumbent appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee, and was reelected in 2024.

Hawk has served as a King County Superior Court judge since 2022. She previously worked as an assistant federal defender and as legal strategy director for the ACLU's Washington Campaign for Smart Justice.

What's next

The results remain unofficial. Under Washington law, a recount is required if the final margin is less than 2,000 votes and less than 0.5% of total votes cast, according to Verified Voting.

Election results: Washington State Supreme Court Justice - Position 3 (Washington General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Washington Secretary of State. Results current as of Nov. 3, 2026, 8:37 p.m. PST. Reporting: 31 of 39. Unofficial results; the count is not complete.