2020 Washington gubernatorial election
The 2020 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020. It followed a top-two primary held on August 4. Incumbent Governor Jay Inslee , the Democratic candidate, defeated Loren Culp, the Republican candidate by a wide margin. Inslee, who was eligible to run for a third term due to the lack of gubernatorial term limits ,[ 1] initially launched a campaign for president of the United States in the 2020 election . When he dropped out of that race in August 2019 due to extremely low polling numbers,[ 2] he announced he would seek a third term as governor.[ 3] Several other Democratic political figures considered entering the race if Inslee did not run, including Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson ; no other major Democratic candidates entered the race.[ 4] Republican Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, Washington , placed second in the top-two primary and advanced to the general election alongside Inslee.
The election was clear and decisive, with incumbent Jay Inslee winning re-election over Loren Culp by over 13 points. This marked the largest margin of victory in a Washington gubernatorial race since Gary Locke won reelection in 2000. Inslee's landslide victory included over 74% of the vote in King County , the highest ever for a Democrat in the county's history. King County, home to Seattle , has about a third of the state's voters.[ 5] [ 6] In addition, this was the first time since 2000 that a Democrat won a county in Eastern Washington with Inslee winning Whitman County .[ 7] Culp still ran ahead of the top-ticket presidential candidate, Donald Trump , by about 4 points.
Despite the margin of victory, Culp refused to concede and filed a lawsuit against Republican Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman five weeks after the election.[ 8] He did not give a concession speech , while making claims of irregularities which Wyman characterized as "unsubstantiated".[ 9] Culp's actions drew criticism and were compared to Donald Trump 's refusal to concede the 2020 U.S. presidential election .[ 10]
This election marked the 10th consecutive election victory of the Democratic candidate for governor of Washington.
Background
Washington had not had a Republican governor since John Spellman left office in 1985, the longest streak of Democratic leadership of any state in the country and the third longest streak of one-party leadership after South Dakota (which had not had a Democratic governor since Harvey L. Wollman left office in 1979) and Utah (which had not had a Democratic governor since Scott M. Matheson left office nine days prior to Spellman in 1985).[ 11] [ 12] [ 13] Incumbent Governor Jay Inslee , who previously served in the U.S. House , was first elected to the governorship in the 2012 election and won reelection in 2016 .
When Inslee announced his candidacy for president, several political figures expressed interest in running for Governor if Inslee won the Democratic primaries . These included Attorney General Bob Ferguson , Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and King County executive Dow Constantine .[ 14] They stated they would only run if Inslee did not, avoiding a primary challenge .[ 15] [ 16]
Several Republican politicians announced their own campaigns to challenge Inslee, including businessman Anton Sakharov, Republic police chief Loren Culp, and state senator Phil Fortunato .[ 17] [ 18] [ 19] However, speculated candidates such as former U.S. Representative Dave Reichert , former Seattle Port Commissioner and 2016 gubernatorial nominee Bill Bryant , Pierce County Executive and former state senator Bruce Dammeier , and state House Minority Leader J. T. Wilcox , all declined to be candidates, leaving no prominent Republicans to challenge Inslee, which was seen as a necessary prerequisite to mount a formidable challenge to him.
Primary election
Washington is one of two states that holds a top-two primary , meaning that all candidates are listed on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, and the top two move on to the general election. Most states have party primaries.
Democratic candidates
Advanced to the general election
Declined
Republican candidates
Advanced to the general election
Eliminated in the primary
Declined
Green Party
Eliminated in the primary
Independents
Eliminated in the primary
Cregan Newhouse, City of Seattle Consumer Protection Division acting manager and former public television director[ 36]
Withdrew
Asa Palagi, U.S. Army officer and businessman[ 37]
Polling
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ a]
Marginof error
Jay Inslee (D)
Loren Culp (R)
Tim Eyman (R)
Phil Fortunato (R)
Joshua Freed (R)
Raul Garcia (R)
Anton Sakharov (R)
Other / Undecided
SurveyUSA [ 38]
July 22–27, 2020
513 (LV)
± 5.4%
55%
9%
8%
3%
–
6%
4%
16% [ b]
Crosscut/Elway [ 39]
July 11–15, 2020
402 (RV)
± 5.0%
46%
14%
4%
2%
–
5%
6%
25% [ c]
SurveyUSA [ 40]
May 16–19, 2020
650 (LV)
± 5.6%
50%
4%
8%
6%
6%
2%
1%
23% [ d]
SurveyUSA [ 41]
January 26–28, 2020
1,103 (RV)
± 3.9%
39%
5%
11%
4%
4%
–
3%
34% [ e]
Crosscut/Elway [ 42]
December 26–29, 2019
405 (RV)
± 5%
46%
4%
7% [ f]
4%
5%
–
–
34% [ g]
Hypothetical polling
with Bryant, Constantine, Ferguson, and Franz
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ h]
Margin of error
Bill Bryant (R)
Dow Constantine (D)
Bob Ferguson (D)
Hilary Franz (D)
Undecided
Chism Strategies (D) [ 43]
March 8–10, 2019
400 (LV)
± 4.9%
46%
6%
25%
2%
21%
Results
Results by county: 30–40%
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
Culp—30–40%
Culp—40–50%
Culp—50–60%
General election
Debates
Predictions
Endorsements
Jay Inslee (D)
U.S vice presidents
State legislators
Newspapers
Polling
Hypothetical polling
Jay Inslee vs. Tim Eyman
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ a]
Marginof error
Jay Inslee (D)
Tim Eyman (R)
Undecided
SurveyUSA [ 68]
July 22–27, 2020
534 (LV)
± 5.2%
62%
31%
7%
SurveyUSA [ 69]
May 16–19, 2020
530 (LV)
± 5.4%
60%
31%
9%
Jay Inslee vs. Phil Fortunato
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ a]
Marginof error
Jay Inslee (D)
Phil Fortunato (R)
Undecided
SurveyUSA [ 68]
July 22–27, 2020
534 (LV)
± 5.2%
61%
32%
8%
SurveyUSA [ 69]
May 16–19, 2020
530 (LV)
± 5.4%
56%
34%
10%
Jay Inslee vs. Joshua Freed
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ a]
Marginof error
Jay Inslee (D)
Joshua Freed (R)
Undecided
SurveyUSA [ 68]
July 22–27, 2020
534 (LV)
± 5.2%
60%
31%
9%
SurveyUSA [ 69]
May 16–19, 2020
530 (LV)
± 5.4%
57%
30%
13%
Jay Inslee vs. Raul Garcia
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ a]
Marginof error
Jay Inslee (D)
Raul Garcia (R)
Undecided
SurveyUSA [ 68]
July 22–27, 2020
534 (LV)
± 5.2%
60%
32%
8%
Results
By county
County results
County[ 71]
Jay Inslee
Democratic
Loren Culp
Republican
Write-in
Various
Margin
Total votes
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
Adams
1,655
28.34%
4,170
71.40%
15
0.26%
-2,515
-43.06%
5,840
Asotin
4,212
35.49%
7,627
64.26%
30
0.25%
-3,415
-28.77%
11,869
Benton
36,939
36.03%
65,170
63.57%
410
0.40%
-28,231
-27.54%
102,519
Chelan
17,922
41.63%
24,936
57.93%
188
0.44%
-7,014
-16.30%
43,046
Clallam
24,366
49.64%
24,640
50.20%
82
0.17%
-274
-0.56%
49,088
Clark
138,196
50.83%
132,964
48.91%
715
0.26%
5,232
1.92%
271,895
Columbia
652
26.34%
1,819
73.49%
4
0.16%
-1,167
-47.15%
2,475
Cowlitz
22,213
37.11%
37,453
62.57%
193
0.32%
-15,240
-25.46%
59,859
Douglas
7,176
33.81%
13,958
65.77%
90
0.42%
-6,782
-31.96%
21,224
Ferry
1,345
30.79%
3,000
68.68%
23
0.53%
-1,655
-37.89%
4,368
Franklin
12,803
39.53%
19,488
60.17%
96
0.30%
-6,685
-20.64%
32,387
Garfield
349
23.61%
1,118
75.64%
11
0.74%
-789
-52.03%
1,478
Grant
10,772
28.71%
26,645
71.00%
109
0.29%
-15,873
-42.29%
37,526
Grays Harbor
16,502
43.08%
21,686
56.61%
119
0.31%
-5,184
-13.53%
38,307
Island
28,239
52.75%
25,145
46.97%
153
0.29%
3,094
5.78%
53,537
Jefferson
16,992
68.79%
7,651
30.97%
59
0.24%
9,341
37.82%
24,702
King
887,374
74.07%
307,022
25.63%
3,653
0.30%
580,352
48.44%
1,198,049
Kitsap
87,766
55.69%
69,288
43.97%
530
0.34%
18,478
11.72%
157,584
Kittitas
10,529
40.21%
15,567
59.45%
87
0.33%
-5,038
-19.24%
26,183
Klickitat
5,693
42.31%
7,735
57.49%
27
0.20%
-2,042
-15.18%
13,455
Lewis
13,821
30.54%
31,306
69.19%
122
0.27%
-17,485
-38.65%
45,249
Lincoln
1,526
21.79%
5,450
77.83%
26
0.37%
-3,924
-56.04%
7,002
Mason
16,502
44.40%
20,562
55.32%
104
0.28%
-4,060
-10.92%
37,168
Okanogan
8,298
39.15%
12,843
60.59%
54
0.25%
-4,545
-21.44%
21,195
Pacific
6,514
46.47%
7,463
53.24%
41
0.29%
-949
-6.77%
14,018
Pend Oreille
2,513
29.55%
5,959
70.08%
31
0.36%
-3,446
-40.53%
8,503
Pierce
238,097
51.68%
220,904
47.95%
1,730
0.38%
17,193
3.73%
460,731
San Juan
9,621
73.39%
3,465
26.43%
23
0.18%
6,156
46.96%
13,109
Skagit
36,444
49.87%
36,404
49.81%
231
0.32%
40
0.06%
73,079
Skamania
3,129
43.10%
4,116
56.69%
15
0.21%
-987
-13.59%
7,260
Snohomish
244,876
56.13%
189,797
43.50%
1,607
0.37%
55,079
12.63%
436,280
Spokane
131,734
44.82%
161,138
54.82%
1,053
0.36%
-29,404
-10.00%
293,925
Stevens
7,393
26.06%
20,902
73.67%
76
0.27%
-13,509
-47.61%
28,371
Thurston
93,723
56.19%
72,506
43.47%
571
0.34%
21,217
12.72%
166,890
Wahkiakum
1,102
37.10%
1,862
62.69%
6
0.20%
-760
-25.59%
2,970
Walla Walla
13,305
42.93%
17,590
56.76%
94
0.30%
-4,285
-13.83%
30,989
Whatcom
81,992
59.44%
55,544
40.27%
399
0.29%
26,448
19.17%
137,935
Whitman
10,806
51.62%
10,056
48.04%
72
0.34%
750
3.58%
20,934
Yakima
41,152
43.07%
54,097
56.62%
296
0.31%
-12,945
-13.55%
95,545
Totals
2,294,243
56.56%
1,749,066
43.12%
13,145
0.32%
545,177
13.44%
4,056,454
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
By congressional district
Inslee won six of 10 congressional districts, with the remaining four going to Culp, including one that elected a Democrat.[ 72]
Notes
^ a b c d e f Key: A – all adults RV – registered voters LV – likely voters V – unclear
^ "Some other candidate" with 4%; Undecided with 12%
^ "Other" with 1%; Undecided with 24%
^ Undecided with 23%
^ Undecided with 34%
^ Listed as an independent.
^ Undecided with 34%
^ Key: A – all adults RV – registered voters LV – likely voters V – unclear
^ Includes "Refused"
^ This poll was sponsored by the Northwest Progressive Institute
References
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^ Dan Merica and Paul LeBlanc (August 22, 2019). "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee drops out of presidential race" . CNN . Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
^ Gutman, David (August 22, 2019). "With Inslee running again for governor, leading Washington state Democrats put their ambitions on hold" . The Seattle Times . Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
^ Brunner, Jim (November 10, 2020). "Republican Loren Culp lost King County by the worst margin in at least four decades in Washington governor's race" . The Seattle Times . Retrieved November 21, 2020 .
^ "Election Results and Voters' Pamphlets" . Washington Secretary of State . Retrieved November 21, 2020 .
^ Leadingham, Scott (November 19, 2020). "Incumbent's Advantage: Why Whitman County Votes For Biden And Inslee, But GOP For Congress" . Northwest Public Broadcasting . Retrieved December 12, 2020 .
^ Craighead, Callie (December 11, 2020). "Refusing to concede lost election, Washington gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp sues Sec. of State" . Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved December 19, 2020 .
^ Brunner, Jim (November 21, 2020). "Loren Culp, refusing to concede Washington gubernatorial race, turns on top Republicans" . The Seattle Times .
^ Bowman, Nick (November 9, 2020). "Opinion: Loren Culp, Trump show a refusal to accept reality in both Washingtons" . MyNorthwest.com . Bonneville International. Retrieved November 10, 2020 .
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^ "King County Executive Dow Constantine not ruling out run for governor" . KING 5 News. February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019 .
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^ a b Smay, Ian (August 22, 2019). "Bob Ferguson announces decision to run for another term as Washington Attorney General" . KING 5 News. Retrieved August 22, 2019 .
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^ a b Robinson, Erin (July 26, 2019). "Republic police chief announces run for governor" . KXLY. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019 .
^ a b "GOP State Senator Phil Fortunato gears up for governor run" . The Seattle Times . August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019 .
^ @JayInslee (August 22, 2019). "That's why, today, I'm announcing my intention to run for a third term as Washington's governor. Join me" (Tweet ) – via Twitter .
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^ a b c Gutman, David (August 22, 2019). "With Inslee running again for governor, leading Washington state Democrats put their ambitions on hold" . The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 23, 2019 .
^ Brunner, Jim (February 13, 2020). "Tim Eyman says he'll run for governor as Republican, not independent" . The Seattle Times . Retrieved February 15, 2020 .
^ Brunner, Jim (September 6, 2019). "Former Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed to run for governor, citing homelessness crisis" . The Seattle Times . Retrieved September 6, 2019 .
^ Garcia, Raul (May 15, 2020). "Raul Garcia for WA State Governor" . Raul Garcia . Retrieved May 15, 2020 . [permanent dead link ]
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^ Radio, iFiberone News. "2018 CANDIDATE CONVERSATION - DREW MacEWEN" . iFIBER ONE News Radio. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018 .
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^ Talamo, Lex (February 17, 2020). "Liz Hallock running for Washington governor as a Green Party candidate" . Yakima Herald-Republic . Retrieved February 20, 2020 .
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^ SurveyUSA
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^ "Former state GOP head: Republicans 'have to disavow Trump' to win in Washington" . August 6, 2020. Vance said he's voting against almost every Republican this year.
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^ a b c d SurveyUSA
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