2020 Washington gubernatorial election information
For related races, see 2020 United States gubernatorial elections.
2020 Washington gubernatorial election
← 2016
November 3, 2020
2024 →
Nominee
Jay Inslee
Loren Culp
Party
Democratic
Republican
Popular vote
2,294,243
1,749,066
Percentage
56.6%
43.1%
County results
Congressional district results
Precinct results
Inslee: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Culp: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data
Governor before election
Jay Inslee
Democratic
Elected Governor
Jay Inslee
Democratic
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v
t
e
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.
^Merica, Dan (March 1, 2019). "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announces 2020 presidential bid". Retrieved March 1, 2019.
^"Was Jay Inslee's presidential campaign a failure?". The Aggie. October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
^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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