The Latest: Culp advances to face Inslee in November

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - The Latest on Washington state’s primary election (all times local):

10:05 p.m.

Republican police chief Loren Culp edged out other Republicans to advance to the November ballot along with Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee.

Culp is police chief of the town of Republic and author of the book “American Cop: Upholding the Constitution and Defending Your Right to Bear Arms.”

He got national attention after saying he wouldn’t enforce gun regulations approved by voters in 2018 initiative. Initiative 1639 raised the age limit to buy some weapons from 18 to 21 and requires enhanced background checks for people who buy those weapons. The law also makes a person criminally liable if their gun isn’t secured with a trigger lock or kept in a gun safe and it’s used to cause injury or death.

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9:50 p.m.

Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman and Democratic state Rep. Gael Tarleton both advanced to the November ballot in the race to be the state’s top election officer.

The incumbent Wyman was just over 50% of the preliminary primary vote Tuesday and Tarleton had just under 45%.

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9:01 p.m.

Former Tacoma mayor Marilyn Strickland was leading in early primary returns in her bid to fill the open 10th Congressional District seat.

Strickland, a Democrat, was one of 19 candidates hoping to succeed Democratic U.S. Rep. Denny Heck who is retiring once his current term is up in January. Democratic state lawmaker Beth Doglio was finishing second and former state lawmaker Kristine Reeves a close third in Tuesday’s preliminary primary vote.

The 10th includes the state capital Olympia and much of the south Puget Sound region.

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8:34 p.m.

U.S. Rep Denny Heck has advanced to the November ballot in his bid to become Washington’s next lieutenant governor.

Heck, who was leading in preliminary returns in the ’top two primary Tuesday, announced his entry into the race in April following the surprise announcement by incumbent Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib that he would not seek re-election and would instead become a Jesuit priest.

Democratic Sen. Marko Liias was finishing second in the initial vote count in the lieutenant governor’s primary.

The lieutenant governor is officially responsible for presiding over the Senate while the Legislature is in session and filling in when the governor travels out of state.

The Democrat Heck was elected to the newly formed 10th Congressional District, which includes Olympia, in 2012. He announced his retirement from Congress in December.

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8:22 p.m.

Democratic incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee has advanced through Tuesday’s “top two” primary.

Inslee was leading decisively in early returns. More than 30 other people also ran in the gubernatorial primary, vying to face Inslee in the fall.

Republican police chief Loren Culp was finishing second as early ballots were counted. Culp is police chief of the town of Republic.

The 69-year-old Inslee is seeking a rare third term as governor, a decision he made after ending his presidential campaign last year. Governors in Washington state aren’t subject to term limits, though most haven’t served more than two terms. The last three-term governor in Washington was Republican Gov. Dan Evans, who served from 1965 until 1977.

Inslee is a former congressman and served as Democratic Governors Association chairman in 2018.