Washington Voters to Decide Whether to Re-elect Gov. Inslee

OLYMPIA (AP) — Washington voters have a long history of sending a Democrat to the governor's office.

This year, they'll decide whether to continue that trend — unbroken since 1984 — when they cast their vote between Democratic incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee and his Republican challenger, former Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant.

Whoever prevails faces a challenging upcoming legislative session and will have to work with lawmakers as they scramble to comply with a court deadline to properly fund the state's basic education system. Among the many things the candidates disagree over include how best to address the long-hanging shadow of a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that found the state was not meeting its constitutional obligations on K-12 education.

In August's "top two" primary, Inslee garnered 49 percent of the vote, compared with Bryant's 38 percent, similar to recent polling in the race.