Jay Inslee declares victory in Washington state’s race for governor

With the initial run of ballots now tallied, Jay Inslee has declared victory in the race for Washington’s governor against Loren Culp after garnering 59% of the vote.

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Inslee has steadily been polling at or above 50% prior to the primaries, and above 60% in polls pitting him against each of the major Republican candidates in November.

He was first elected governor in 2012, when he edged out former state Attorney General Rob McKenna 51% to 48%. He won reelection in 2016 over Republican challenger Bill Bryant by a 54% to 45% margin.

Culp first made national headlines in 2018, when, as Republic’s police chief, he became the first law enforcement leader in the state to announce that he would not enforce new gun control laws laid out in Initiative 1639. That marked the beginning of a journey that inspired him to enter the political realm, after 10 years with the Republic Police Department.

In August’s Primary election, Inslee garnered 50% of the vote, while Culp was the next leading candidate with 17%, followed by former Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed at 8%, and anti-tax activist Tim Eyman at 6%.

Inslee released the following victory statement Tuesday:

Tonight, Washington state has chosen to continue on the path of progress — to defeat COVID and to rebuild stronger than ever. I am honored by the overwhelming support for my leadership. This election is not about me — it is about the strength and resilience of the people of Washington state.

When COVID hit us first, we took action, and we followed public health experts and science to battle this virus. We are still in the thick of this fight, but because of the heroic actions of our health care workers, essential employees, and Washingtonians masking up, we have fared better than nearly every other state.

Because of our response and the blog, progressive policies passed during my time as governor, we are more resilient and able to rebound once the COVID crisis is over.

We are still facing great challenges, but I have never been more optimistic about our capacity to meet them.

Our victory tonight is more than just a reflection of our successful past, this is about a mandate for governing into the future.

Together, through our shared determination and values, I look forward to fighting with you for a brighter future. Thank you.”

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