Candidate for Washington State Governor Loren Culp smiles while speaking to crowds during a "victory protest" in Brush Prairie in September.
Fresh off losing the Washington gubernatorial race, GOP candidate Loren Culp says he also recently lost his job as police chief of Republic, Ferry County.
In a Facebook live video chat with supporters on Wednesday, Culp bitterly revealed that the Republic City Council had defunded its one-person police department at a recent meeting, "and away with that went my job."
"Not even a letter or thank you. Not a plaque for 10 years of service," said Culp. "It's absolutely incredible. It's unthinkable to me."
Republic has faced declining tax revenue and had previously cut its police department from a few officers down to one. Culp, who joined the police department in 2010, was the last remaining employee. He had used up his vacation time and was on a leave of absence for the last few months as he ran for governor.
Minutes of an Oct. 30 Republic City Council meeting confirm the council approved a "law enforcement services" agreement with the Ferry County Sheriff's Office, whose deputies had been covering for Culp's absence.
Officials with the city of Republic and Ferry County Sheriff Ray Maycumber did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Culp lost his challenge to Gov. Jay Inslee in the Nov. 3 election, with Inslee taking more than 59% of the votes as of Election Day.
But Culp has refused to concede, claiming "irregularities" without providing evidence. "Something smells fishy. Yep. Imagine that," he told more than 2,000 people who watched his Facebook chat.
The Washington State Republican Party has not echoed Culp's concerns over the election supervised by Secretary of State Kim Wyman, herself a Republican.
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