Governor candidate in Washington won’t concede - and loses job as police chief, he says

The GOP candidate for the Washington gubernatorial race went on Facebook live the day after the election, saying he would not concede to incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee.

Loren Culp also told the 2,000 live-stream viewers that he lost his job as Republic’s police chief after the city council defunded the one-person department, the Seattle Times reported. Culp used up his vacation time and took a leave of absence in the last months of the campaign, according to The Associated Press.

“Not even a letter or thank you. Not a plaque for 10 years of service,” Culp said. “It’s absolutely incredible. It’s unthinkable to me.”

The council voted the previous week to sign a contract with the Ferry County Sheriff’s Office, making the agency Republic’s sole law enforcement agency, according to KOMO.

“The city council had a special meeting and they voted to defund the police department, including my job,” he said. “Incredible, right? Small-minded people playing political games.”

The contract will allow Culp to apply at the sheriff’s office with a lower-level position and less pay, KING reported. The town has experienced a loss in tax revenue and previously reduced the police department from a few officers to just one, according to the Times.

Culp lost the run for governor to Inslee, who received more than 59% of the vote as of Nov. 3, according to the Times. However, Culp has refused to concede, saying that there have been “irregularities,” but he did not specify what those were.

“Something smells fishy. Yep. Imagine that,” he said.

This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Governor candidate in Washington won’t concede - and loses job as police chief, he says."