Politics & Government

Major Showdown Looms for McKenna, Inslee in November

Bellevue resident and State Attorney General Rob McKenna trailed former Congressman Jay Inslee slightly in the primary leading up to November's general election, which means that the two will face off in November.

 

Bellevue resident and State Attorney General Rob McKenna and former Congressman Jay Inslee have received the vast majority of the early primary votes, which means the two will face off in November -- as expected.

McKenna trails Inslee in early statewide returns. King County's early returns showed Inslee leading by more than 20 percentage points and statewide Inslee was ahead by more than 35,000 votes as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.

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King County tends to lean toward the Democratic Party, to which Inslee belongs, but McKenna is a longtime Bellevue resident who , and served as King County Councilmember for two terms. 

The state has a top-two primary system, which means the two candidates with the most votes will proceed to the November general election no matter what party affiliation. Still, it is a major party showdown with McKenna, a Republican, and Inslee, a Democrat, facing off in the general election after receiving the vast majority of the votes in the primary.

Find out what's happening in Kirklandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At a Republican party reception in Belleveue Tuesday night, Dileep Bhandarkar of Kirkland jokingly called himself "The president of Indians for McKenna (I'm the only member)." Noting the election of Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, Republican governor of Louisiana, Bhandarkar said he favors the GOP because "I grew up in a country that was socialist and it didnt' do a thing for India."

McKenna and Inslee are facing off for the seat that will be vacated by Chris Gregoire, which is retiring after serving as Governor for eight years.

This story will be updated with reaction and updated returns.

Washington Secretary of State Results 9 p.m.

Governor County Results & Map CandidateVoteVote % Rob Hill (Prefers Democratic Party) 32,357 4% Rob McKenna (Prefers Republican Party) 347,566 42.93% Jay Inslee (Prefers Democratic Party) 378,679 46.78% James White (Prefers Independent Party) 9,279 1.15% Christian Joubert (States No Party Preference) 6,424 0.79% Shahram Hadian Prefers Republican Party) 19,289 2.38% L. Dale Sorgen (Prefers Independent Party) 5,643 0.7% Max Sampson (Prefers Republican Party) 6,109 0.75% Javier O. Lopez (Prefers Republican Party) 4,226 0.52% Total Votes 809,572 100%

King County Results

Available here

Reactions

Jay Inslee:

Tonight marks an important milestone in our campaign to build a new economy for Washington, a campaign about building upon our state's innovative spirit and the creativity of our workers to lay the groundwork for a 21st Century economy. We will build an economy that puts the middle class first, competes with any other place in the world, and creates whole new industries and the jobs that come with it.

Whether it's jobs in clean energy, aerospace, high tech, agriculture - or any industry - I have faith in Washington workers on both sides of the Cascades. I'll be a governor who won't accept things as they are now, but will plow new ground and bring a new, independent approach to creating jobs for the people of our state.

My wife, Trudi, and I look forward to campaigning across the state in the coming weeks, and talking with middle-class families about Washington's economic future. After all, this election is all about the future. And if given the opportunity, my term as governor will be about building a better future for the people of Washington.

Republican Governor's Association Statement on Washington Gubernatorial Primary

Governor Bob McDonnell, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, issued the following statement on Attorney General Rob McKenna advancing from the primary to face Congressman Jay Inslee in the general election for governor: 

“Since the beginning of his campaign, Rob McKenna has been laser-focused on winning the general election, and today’s results are a key step towards achieving that goal.  Now, Rob will be able to begin consolidating his support while continuing to reach out to independent voters who recognize that his ideas to strengthen the economy, increase the number of well-paying jobs and reform education are exactly what Washington needs.  Rob is strongly positioned to win in November.” 


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