Loren Culp does not concede governor race despite Jay Inslee claiming victory

Hundreds packed together for a rally in support of Loren Culp on election night. While other candidates chose not to have celebrations, Culp threw a “victory rally.”

Throughout the night bands and speakers took the stage, while the crowd cheered them on. None of them were wearing masks.

“It’s up to people what they want to do. I’m never going to mandate what you wear,” said Culp.

Jay Inslee, who briefly ran for president last year, has been a frequent critic of Republican President Donald Trump, especially his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Culp, police chief of the small town of Republic, campaigned in part against Inslee’s coronavirus restrictions like mandatory masks, saying they infringe on people’s constitutional rights.

Related: Jay Inslee wins third term as Washington governor: AP

At 8:01 p.m., the AP announced projections that Jay Insee won reelection for a third term.

Culp spoke on the early results during his rally Tuesday night in Tenino.

“There’s a lot of counties that haven’t reported. There’s a lot of votes that have not been counted, and we are going to wait until those people have their voices heard,” he said. “We are not conceding. We are going to let everyone’s voice be heard and every vote be counted."

Culp also questioned some of the results coming in throughout the night, specifically referencing the comprehensive sexual education bill.

“We’re seeing some irregularities as well. Things that make you go, ‘huh, really?’  Sixty percent of the population of this state want the comprehensive sex-ed bill, really.  No idea how that happened, right?” said Culp.

Following Culp’s speech, his supporters told Q13 News they question the validity and authenticity of the results coming in. Like Culp, the people we spoke to say they are going to stay hopeful, and wait for all the results to come in.