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Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman was re-elected last week, following a strong challenge from an outgoing state lawmaker. KOMO has more:

It’s official.

Washington voters have re-elected Republican Kim Wyman to a third term as Secretary of State.

Wyman’s Democratic challenger Gael Tarleton conceded the race on Friday morning after the Associated Press called the race on Thursday night.

The victory that puts Wyman in an unusual position. She’s now the only statewide elected Republican on the west coast in the contiguous U.S. State Treasurer Duane Davidson, who is a Republican, lost his bid for re-election on Tuesday, and the Secretary of State’s race in Oregon also went to a Democrat.

Wyman said Tarleton was very gracious when she called Wyman to concede on Friday morning.

Wyman called the campaign “blistering” and told KOMO News that it got a little nasty at times, but she tried to focus on her record, she said.

Wyman believes she’s demonstrated over the past 8 years that she can do the job well and do it impartially. And that’s why she believes she was elected to a third term in a state that tends to elect more Democrats to statewide office, she added.

“Part of my success is really understanding that once I take the oath of office and once I step into the Secretary of State, I represent everyone in the state – not just my party,” Wyman told KOMO News on Friday morning. “And I’m not here to try to sway things against the Democratic party or in favor of the Republican party. My job is fair elections.”

“Your voices have now re-shaped the debates about the future of voting rights and election security in our state,” Tarleton said in a statement released to supporters. “We must build a more inclusive and expansive culture of voter participation and access while protecting election systems and networks.”

Wyman believes there must be a conversation about making it easier to vote on a state and national level, she told KOMO News.

Wyman is the fifth Republican to serve as Washington’s Secretary of State since the mid-1960s.

Kim Wyman has been an outstanding Secretary of State and a trusted colleague to fellow state officials on both sides of the aisle on vote-by-mail, cybersecurity and other issues of importance to the election community. Congratulations to her for earning the voters’ trust for another four-year team. Stay tuned!