SEATTLE (AP) – U.S. Rep. Denny Heck said Thursday he is running for Washington lieutenant governor following last month’s surprise announcement by incumbent Cyrus Habib that he would not seek re-election.

Habib plans to join the Jesuit religious order.

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.

Democratic state Sens. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, and Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, are already running for lieutenant governor.

On the GOP side, candidates include Ann Sattler, an attorney who ran unsuccessfully for Seattle City Council last year, and Joseph Brumbles, who ran unsuccessfully against Heck in the 10th Congressional District in 2018.

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