Democrat Jay Inslee has shot ahead of Republican Rob McKenna in the primary race for Washington’s governor.

“Tonight marks an important milestone in our campaign to build a new economy for Washington, a campaign about building upon our state’s innovative spirit and the creativity of our workers to lay the groundwork for a 21st Century economy,” Insee said in a statement shortly after the results were announced.

“We will build an economy that puts the middle class first, competes with any other place in the world, and creates whole new industries and the jobs that come with it,” he said.

Inslee was trailing McKenna all night by a 2-point to 4-point gap until approximately 8:45 p.m. when the initial vote tally for King County was included in the total.

Inslee traded spots with McKenna with 46.7 percent of the vote (378,679 votes). McKenna stands at 42.9 percent (347,566).

In Kitsap County where Insee lives on Bainbridge Island, he took 47.9 percent of the vote (16,666 votes). McKenna followed with 43.6 percent (15,166 votes).

“My wife, Trudi, and I look forward to campaigning across the state in the coming weeks, and talking with middle-class families about Washington’s economic future,” Inslee said.