Angelis, Larson vie for Washington Supreme Court Position 5

Dave Larson held 67,323 votes, or 61.2%, to Justice Theo Angelis' 42,326 votes, or 38.5%, with just 5 of 39 reporting units counted and 110,033 total votes tallied as of 8:08 p.m. PST Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to unofficial results from the Washington Secretary of State. The count remains in its earliest stages, with 34 reporting units still outstanding.

The race is a special election to fill the remainder of retiring Justice Barbara Madsen's term, which runs through January 2029, according to The Spokesman-Review.

What was at stake

The Washington Supreme Court is the state's highest court, with final say on questions of state law, according to MyNorthwest via Yahoo News. Five of the nine-member court's seats appeared on the Nov. 3 ballot, giving voters an unusual chance to reshape the bench. Justices serve six-year terms. Position 5 is a special election following Gov. Bob Ferguson's appointment of Angelis to replace Madsen.

The key issues:

• The court could hear a challenge to the state's new high earners income tax, a 9.9% levy on annual income above $1 million approved by the Legislature in 2026, The Seattle Times reported.
• Larson, in a July interview with The Spokesman-Review, said the court needs more trial court experience and warned against what he called the increasing partisan nature of court systems.
• Judicial races in Washington are nonpartisan, but the state Democratic Party endorsed Angelis and the state Republican Party recommended Larson.

A little history

Ferguson appointed Angelis in March to fill Madsen's vacancy. Before joining the court, Angelis worked as a partner at K&L Gates for 26 years, focusing on appellate work and intellectual property litigation, according to The Spokesman-Review.

He graduated from Claremont McKenna College, Oxford University, the London School of Economics and Yale Law School.

Larson retired as a Federal Way Municipal Court judge after nearly 18 years. He spent 23 years as a trial lawyer before becoming a judge and served as president of the Federal Way School Board.

This is Larson's fifth campaign for the Supreme Court. He ran unsuccessfully in 2016, 2020 and 2024, according to The Seattle Times. Two years ago he lost by half a percentage point.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the canvass is complete. County election offices are scheduled to certify results by Nov. 24, and the Secretary of State's certification deadline is Dec. 3, according to Whatcom News. The winner will complete the remaining two years of Madsen's term.

Election results: Washington State Supreme Court Justice - Position 5 (Washington General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Washington Secretary of State. Results current as of Nov. 3, 2026, 8:08 p.m. PST. Reporting: 5 of 39. Unofficial results; the count is not complete.