Democratic U.S. Congressman Hugh Mitchell announced his candidacy for governor on March 22 , seeking to fix an administration that was " falling apart at the seams " . By May , Mitchell was joined by state senator Albert D. Rosellini of Seattle , State Treasurer Tom Martin , Speaker of the House Charles W. Hodde , and Charles C. Ralls in what '' The Seattle Times '' described as a " hard-to-predict contest " for the Democratic nomination . During various debates , Rosellini denounced Mitchell as a " left-winger " , leaving doubts amidst the anti-communist wave of the era . Mitchell ultimately won the primary by a margin of 30,000 votes Incumbent Governor Arthur B. Langlie , who had been elected to two non-consecutive terms in 1940 and 1948 , filed his intention to run for a third term on July 17 after returning from the 1952 Republican National Convention . Dr. John E. Lydon , a Seattle sanipractor , was the only Republican to run against Langlie and was not considered a serious contender for the party nomination
1952 Republican National Convention
1952 Republican National Convention
1952 Washington gubernatorial election