McKenna concedes; Inslee next governor

A Democrat will occupy the governor’s office for another four years.

Less than 24 hours after his campaign insisted that their data showed he would eventually win the governor’s race, Republican Rob McKenna conceded defeat Friday evening as Washington’s ongoing ballot count showed he couldn’t close the gap with Democrat Jay Inslee.

“We just realized there wasn’t going to be enough of an offset,” Randy Pepple, McKenna’s campaign manager and longtime friend, said.

Inslee scheduled a press conference for 6:45 p.m. regarding the concession.