2020 Washington gubernatorial election
The 2020 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the governor of Washington, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The top-two primary was held on August 4. Incumbent Jay Inslee, the Democratic candidate, defeated Loren Culp, the Republican candidate.
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| Elections in Washington |
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As Washington does not have gubernatorial term limits, incumbent Democratic Governor Jay Inslee was eligible to run for a third term.[1] Inslee 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 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, but ultimately, no other major Democrats entered the race.[4]
Republican Loren Culp placed second in the top-two primary and competed against Inslee in the general election on November 3. Inslee won re-election to a third term and defeated Culp in the election by a margin of over 13%. Nonetheless, Culp refused to concede and filed a lawsuit against Republican Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman five weeks after the election.[5] Culp's actions have drawn criticism and were compared to Donald Trump's refusal to concede the 2020 U.S. presidential election.[6]
Background
Washington has 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 has not had a Democratic governor since Harvey L. Wollman left office in 1979) and Utah (which has not had a Democratic governor since Scott M. Matheson left office nine days prior to Spellman in 1985).[7][8][9] 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.[10] They stated they would only run if Inslee was not, avoiding a primary challenge.[11][12]
Several Republican politicians announced their own campaigns to challenge Inslee, including businessman Anton Sakharov, Republic police chief Loren Culp, and state senator Phil Fortunato.[13][14][15]
Primary election
Washington State is one of few 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.
Advanced to the general election
- Jay Inslee, incumbent Governor of Washington and former candidate for President of the United States in 2020[16]
Declined
- Dow Constantine, King County executive[17][18]
- Bob Ferguson, Washington Attorney General (running for reelection)[12][18]
- Hilary Franz, Washington Commissioner of Public Lands (running for reelection)[11][18]
Eliminated in the primary
- Tim Eyman, activist, initiative promoter[19]
- Phil Fortunato, state senator[15]
- Joshua Freed, former mayor of Bothell[20]
- Raul Garcia, emergency physician[21]
- Leon Lawson[22]
- Nate Herzog, former Lake Forest Park city councilman[23]
- Anton Sakharov, program manager[24]
Declined
- Bill Bryant, former Seattle Port Commissioner and nominee for Governor of Washington in 2016[25]
- Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County executive (running for reelection)[26]
- Doug Ericksen, state senator[27]
- Drew C. MacEwen, state representative[28]
- Dori Monson, radio personality[29]
- Dave Reichert, former U.S. Representative for Washington's 8th congressional district[30]
- Drew Stokesbary, state representative[26]
- J.T. Wilcox, minority leader of the Washington House of Representatives[26]
Eliminated in the primary
- Cregan Newhouse, City of Seattle Consumer Protection Division acting manager and former public television director[33]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Jay Inslee (D) |
Tim Eyman (R) |
Loren Culp (R) |
Phil Fortunato (R) |
Joshua Freed (R) |
Anton Sakharov (R) |
Raul Garcia (R) |
Bill Bryant (R) |
Dow Constantine (D) |
Bob Ferguson (D) |
Hillary Franz (D) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | July 22–27, 2020 | 513 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 55% | 8% | 9% | 3% | 6% | – | 4% | – | – | – | – | 16%[lower-alpha 2] |
| Crosscut/Elway | July 11–15, 2020 | 402 (RV) | ± 5.0% | 46% | 4% | 14% | 2% | 5% | – | 6% | – | – | – | – | 25%[lower-alpha 3] |
| SurveyUSA | May 16–19, 2020 | 650 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 50% | 8% | 4% | 6% | 6% | 1% | 2% | – | – | – | – | 23%[lower-alpha 4] |
| Filing deadline, by which Bryant had not declared his candidacy; Garcia announces his candidacy[36] | |||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA | January 26–28, 2020 | 1,103 (RV) | ± 3.9% | 39% | 11% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 3% | – | – | – | – | – | 34%[lower-alpha 5] |
| Crosscut/Elway | December 26–29, 2019 | 405 (RV) | ± 5% | 46% | 7%[lower-alpha 6] | 4% | 4% | 5% | – | – | – | – | – | – | 34%[lower-alpha 7] |
| Eyman announces his candidacy[37] | |||||||||||||||
| Inslee announces his candidacy; Constantine, Ferguson and Franz announce they will not run | |||||||||||||||
| Freed announces his candidacy[38] | |||||||||||||||
| Fortunato announces his candidacy[39] | |||||||||||||||
| Culp announces his candidacy[40] | |||||||||||||||
| Sakharov announces his candidacy[41] | |||||||||||||||
| Chism Strategies | March 8–10, 2019 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 46% | 25% | 6% | 1% | 21%[lower-alpha 8] |
Among Democrats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Among Republican voters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Among independent voters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results
Results by county:
Inslee—70–80%
Inslee—60–70%
Inslee—50–60%
Inslee—40–50%
Inslee—30–40%
Culp—30–40%
Culp—40–50%
Culp—50–60%
Garcia—30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Inslee (incumbent) | 1,247,916 | 50.14% | |
| Republican | Loren Culp | 433,238 | 17.41% | |
| Republican | Joshua Freed | 222,553 | 8.94% | |
| Republican | Tim Eyman | 159,495 | 6.41% | |
| Republican | Raul Garcia | 135,045 | 5.43% | |
| Republican | Phil Fortunato | 99,265 | 3.99% | |
| Democratic | Don L. Rivers | 25,601 | 1.03% | |
| Trump Republican Party | Leon Aaron Lawson | 23,073 | 0.93% | |
| Green | Liz Hallock | 21,537 | 0.87% | |
| Democratic | Cairo D'Almeida | 14,657 | 0.59% | |
| Trump Republican Party | Anton Sakharov | 13,935 | 0.56% | |
| Pre2016 Republican Party | Nate Herzog | 11,303 | 0.45% | |
| Democratic | Gene Hart | 10,605 | 0.43% | |
| Democratic | Omari Tahir Garrett | 8,751 | 0.35% | |
| Unaffiliated Party | Ryan Ryals | 6,264 | 0.25% | |
| Socialist Workers | Henry Clay Dennison | 5,970 | 0.24% | |
| Trump Republican Party | Goodspaceguy | 5,646 | 0.23% | |
| Republican | Richard L. Carpenter | 4,962 | 0.2% | |
| Independent | Elaina J. Gonzales | 4,772 | 0.19% | |
| Republican | Matthew Murray | 4,489 | 0.18% | |
| Independent | Thor Amundson | 3,638 | 0.15% | |
| Republican | Bill Hirt | 2,854 | 0.11% | |
| Republican | Martin L. Wheeler | 2,686 | 0.11% | |
| Republican | Ian Gonzales | 2,537 | 0.1% | |
| New-Liberty Party | Joshua Wolf | 2,315 | 0.09% | |
| No Party Preference | Cregan M. Newhouse | 2,291 | 0.09% | |
| No Party Preference | Brian R. Weed | 2,178 | 0.09% | |
| StandupAmerica Party | Alex Tsimerman | 1,721 | 0.07% | |
| Republican | Tylor Grow | 1,509 | 0.06% | |
| Independent | Dylan B. Nails | 1,470 | 0.06% | |
| Independent | Craig Campbell | 1,178 | 0.05% | |
| American Patriot Party | William Miller | 1,148 | 0.05% | |
| No Party Preference | Cameron M. Vessey | 718 | 0.03% | |
| Propertarianist Party | Winston Wilkes | 702 | 0.03% | |
| Fifth Republic Party | David W. Blomstrom | 519 | 0.02% | |
| Cascadia Labour Party | David Voltz | 480 | 0.02% | |
| Write-in | 1,938 | 0.08% | ||
| Total votes | 2,488,959 | 100% | ||
General election
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 7, 2020 - C-SPAN
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[43] | Safe D | September 15, 2020 |
| Inside Elections[44] | Safe D | October 16, 2020 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[45] | Safe D | October 8, 2020 |
| Politico[46] | Safe D | September 9, 2020 |
| Daily Kos[47] | Safe D | July 22, 2020 |
| RCP[48] | Safe D | July 29, 2020 |
| 270towin[49] | Safe D | October 16, 2020 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Jay Inslee (D) |
Loren Culp (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swayable | October 23 – November 1, 2020 | 474 (LV) | ± 6% | 59% | 41% | – |
| Public Policy Polling (D) | October 14–15, 2020 | 615 (LV) | ± 4% | 56% | 40% | 4% |
| SurveyUSA | October 8–10, 2020 | 591 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 54% | 40% | 6% |
| Strategies 360 | September 8–14, 2020 | 501 (RV) | ± 4.4% | 53% | 37% | 9%[lower-alpha 25] |
| SurveyUSA | July 22–27, 2020 | 534 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 61% | 32% | 7% |
| SurveyUSA | May 16–19, 2020 | 530 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 56% | 31% | 13% |
Polling with former candidates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results
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 victory was fueled by getting over 74% of the vote in King County, which was the highest a Democrat got there in state history. King County, home to Seattle, has about a third of the state's voters.[50][51] In addition, this was the first time since 2000 that a Democrat won a county in Eastern Washington with Inslee winning Whitman County.[52] In spite of the large margin of victory, Culp refused to concede his loss and has given no concession speech, while making claims of irregularities which Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman characterized as "unsubstantiated".[53]
Despite this, Culp still ran ahead of the top-ticket presidential candidate, Donald Trump, by about 4 points.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Inslee (incumbent) | 2,294,243 | 56.56% | +2.32% | |
| Republican | Loren Culp | 1,749,066 | 43.12% | -2.37% | |
| Write-in | 13,145 | 0.32% | +0.06% | ||
| Total votes | 4,056,454 | 100.00% | |||
| Turnout | 4,116,894 | 84.14% | |||
| Registered electors | 4,892,871 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
By congressional district
Inslee won 6 of 10 congressional districts with the remaining 4 going to Culp.[55]
| District | Culp | Inslee | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 43% | 56% | Suzan DelBene |
| 2nd | 40% | 60% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 54% | 46% | Jaime Herrera Beutler |
| 4th | 62% | 37% | Dan Newhouse |
| 5th | 57% | 43% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 44% | 56% | Derek Kilmer |
| 7th | 15% | 85% | Pramila Jayapal |
| 8th | 51% | 49% | Kim Schrier |
| 9th | 27% | 73% | Adam Smith |
| 10th | 45% | 54% | Denny Heck |
Notes
- 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%
- Undecided with 21%
- "Some other candidate" with 2%; Undecided with 5%
- "Other" with 0%; Undecided with 6%
- Undecided with 12%
- Undecided with 22%
- Undecided with 12%
- "Some other candidate" with 3%; Undecided with 20%
- "Other" with 1%; Undecided with 32%
- Undecided with 34%
- Undecided with 44%
- Undecided with 53%
- "Some other candidate" with 8%; Undecided with 15%
- "Other" with 3%; Undecided with 41%
- Undecided with 29%
- Undecided with 37%
- Listed as an independent.
- Undecided with 48%
- Includes "Refused"
References
- 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.
- CNN, 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Wood, Benjamin (July 19, 2019). "Zachary Moses, a Democratic candidate for governor, wants to break up Republican control of Utah and build a space port". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- Scott, Dylan (November 7, 2018). "Kristi Noem elected first woman governor of South Dakota". Vox. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- Camden, Jim (January 16, 2018). "John Spellman, Washington's last Republican governor, dies". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- "King County Executive Dow Constantine not ruling out run for governor". KING 5 News. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- Axelrod, Tal (August 22, 2019). "Inslee to announce bid for third term as Washington governor: report". The Hill. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- 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.
- "Inslee, Culp advance to general election in Washington governor's race". Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- Robinson, Erin (July 26, 2019). "Republic police chief announces run for governor". KXLY. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- "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.
- "King County Executive Dow Constantine not ruling out run for governor". KING. Retrieved February 25, 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 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.
- "Washington State Primary Election Results 2020". New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- Drew, James (May 15, 2020). "Heres who's running statewide in the Aug. 4 primary election (and in a hot congressional race)". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- Brunner, Jim (September 1, 2019). "As Washington state Republicans struggle to field 2020 candidates, Reichert eyes run for governor". Seattle Times. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- Brunner, Jim (June 24, 2019). "Who will Washington's next governor be? Uncertainty over Inslee creates pileup of politicians, domino effects down ballot". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- "With Jay Inslee running for president, here's who might lead WA next". Crosscut.com. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- "As Governor Inslee eyes White House, who could take his place in 2020?". Q13 FOX News. March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- Radio, iFiberone News. "2018 CANDIDATE CONVERSATION - DREW MacEWEN". iFIBER ONE News Radio. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- "Dori: Why I might just run for governor after all". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- Connelly, Joel (September 3, 2019). "Former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert says he won't run for Washington governor -- yet again". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- "Liz Hallock – A New Deal for Washington". Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- Talamo, Lex (February 17, 2020). "Liz Hallock running for Washington governor as a Green Party candidate". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- "Cregan Newhouse for Governor". Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- "Asa Palagi, 2020".
- "Independent Candidate Asa Palagi Withdraws From Washington State's Gubernatorial Race and Slams Government Shutdowns - Press Release - Digital Journal". www.digitaljournal.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- Schumacher, Shelby (May 15, 2020). "Tri-Cities ER doctor announces his plans to run for state governor". Yaktri News. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- Radil, Amy; McNichols, Joshua (November 21, 2019). "Tim Eyman is running for governor ... and against Seattle". KUOW. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- "FREED JOSHUA D, 2020". PDC. August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- "Philip D Fortunato, 2020". PDC. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- "Loren D. Culp (Loren Culp), 2020". PDC. July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- "SAKHAROV ANTON (ANTON SAKHAROV), 2020". PDC. April 20, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- "August 4, 2020 Primary Results - Governor". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- "2020 Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- "Gubernatorial Ratings | Inside Elections". insideelections.com. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- "2020 Governor". Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball. August 22, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- "We rated every gubernatorial race in 2020. Here's who we think will win". Politico. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- "2020 Governor Race Ratings". Daily Kos. June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- "2020 Governor Races". RealClearPolitics. June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- "2020 Gubernatorial Elections Map". 270towin.
- 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.
- Brunner, Jim (November 21, 2020). "Loren Culp, refusing to concede Washington gubernatorial race, turns on top Republicans". The Seattle Times.
- "November 3, 2020 General Election Results". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- Results. sos.wa.gov (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 24, 2020.
External links
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Washington", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "Washington: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "League of Women Voters of Washington". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- Washington at Ballotpedia
- Official campaign websites
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