The Latest: Heck advances in lieutenant governor primary

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

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.