Jay Inslee leads, but governor’s race may not be called for days
Nov 6, 2012, 5:26 PM | Updated: Nov 7, 2012, 6:31 am
Washington residents may not know for several days who their next governor will be. Republican Rob McKenna thanked his wife in a speech at the Hyatt in Bellevue Tuesday night. (AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
The race for the governor’s office is shaping up to be a close one as expected.
Democrat Jay Inslee held a promising lead after nearly 2 million votes were counted Tuesday, carrying 51 percent of ballots. But Republican Rob McKenna remained optimistic he could become the first GOP governor in about three decades.
The race is viewed as one of the country’s most competitive gubernatorial contests, with the campaigns and outside political groups raising and spending some $40 million in the race.
As of Tuesday night, hundreds of thousands of ballots remained uncounted while others had yet to arrive at election offices around the state.
Both Republican Rob McKenna and Inslee expect their contest to be decided in the ballots that remain to be counted.
In the first batch of results released, Inslee leads, but McKenna remains confident.
“We’re confident, thanks to your hard work and dedication, that when the last ballots are counted it will be clear it’s time to move our state in a new direction,” McKenna said at the podium Tuesday night.
He then thanked his wife for her patience throughout the campaign.
McKenna speculated earlier in the day that only 50 to 60 percent of the vote would be tabulated Tuesday night and he expected to wait until Friday or maybe next week to learn the outcome.
Before the results came down, Inslee also said he didn’t mind waiting and feels positive about the outcome of the election, whether it came Tuesday night, Thursday or next week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
