Washington secretary of state candidates debate

Defending Washington’s election system against cyberthreats and misinformation campaigns has been a dominant theme in this year’s contest for secretary of state.

This was the case again Oct. 1 when Democrat Steve Hobbs, the incumbent and Republican Dale Whitaker, the challenger, debated in Edmonds.

Hobbs, of Lake Stevens, was serving as a state senator when, in 2021, Gov. Jay Inslee tapped him to be secretary of state after Republican Kim Wyman left to work for an election security post in President Joe Biden’s Administration. At that moment, Hobbs became the first Democrat in 56 years and the...