Washington, State Senate, District 17

Washington State Senate District 17
Current incumbent	Lynda Wilson
Population	150,727
Race	82.8% White, 4.5% Two or More Races, 2.8% Other Race, 6.1% Asian, 2.2% Black, 0.8% American Indian/Alaska Native, 0.8% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Ethnicity	92.2% Not Hispanic, 7.8% Hispanic
Voting age	72.5% age 18 and over

Washington's seventeenth state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Lynda Wilson.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 150,727 civilians reside within the 70.7 square miles of Washington's seventeenth state senate district. The population per square mile is 2,142. The median age of these residents is 35.5. Washington's state senators represent an average of 137,236 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 120,288 residents.

About the office

Members of the Washington State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Washington legislators assume office the first day of session.

Qualifications

Section 7 of Article 2 of the Washington State Constitution states, "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not be a citizen of the United States and a qualified voter in the district for which he is chosen."

Salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$48,731/year	$120/day

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, the Board of County Commissioners where the vacant seat is located has the responsibility to select a replacement. The state central committee of the political party that last held the seat must submit a list of three candidates to the Board of County Commissioners representing the vacant district. A selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy happened. The person appointed will hold the seat until his or her successor is elected at the next general election.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Washington State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is May 15, 2020.

2016

Elections for the Washington State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 20, 2016. Incumbent Don Benton (R) did not seek re-election.

Lynda Wilson defeated Tim Probst in the Washington State Senate District 17 general election.

Washington State Senate, District 17 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lynda Wilson	55.11%	32,766
	Independent Democrat	Tim Probst	44.89%	26,686
Total Votes			59,452
Source: Washington Secretary of State

Lynda Wilson and Tim Probst were unopposed in the Washington State Senate District 17 top two primary.

Washington State Senate, District 17 Top Two Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	Lynda Wilson
	Independent Democrat	Tim Probst
Source: Washington Secretary of State

This district was included in the Republican State Leadership Committee's list of "16 in '16: Races to Watch." Read more »

2012

Elections for the office of Washington State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 7, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Don Benton (R) defeated Tim Probst (D) in the general election. Benton and Probst were unopposed in the blanket primary election.

Washington State Senate, District 17, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Don Benton Incumbent	50.1%	27,538
	Democratic	Tim Probst	49.9%	27,460
Total Votes			54,998

Campaign contributions

From 2004 to 2016, candidates for Washington State Senate District 17 raised a total of $2,986,201. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $229,708 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Washington State Senate District 17

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$1,043,152	2	$521,576
2012	$805,406	2	$402,703
2010	$3,255	1	$3,255
2008	$441,856	2	$220,928
2006	$5,194	1	$5,194
2004	$368,702	3	$122,901
2000	$318,636	2	$159,318
Total	$2,986,201	13	$229,708