1972Final resultsIncumbent defeated
1972 election for Washington Legislative District 36-1
Washington House of Representatives · Washington
Helen Sommers (D) won with 52.9% of the vote, defeating Gladys Kirk (R) by 7.1 points.
Helen SommersDemocrat · winner
52.9%15,925
Gladys KirkRepublican · incumbent
45.8%13,781
Glenn YoungOther party
0.8%242
David OddenLibertarian
0.5%154
30,102 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1972
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Helen Sommers (D)Gladys Kirk (R)
Also on the ballot: Glenn Young (Other party), 0.8%; David Odden (Libertarian), 0.5%