OLYMPIA – Members of the Washington State Republican Party turned in a petition with about 5,000 signatures to the Governor’s office Friday demanding that Gov. Jay Inslee reimburse taxpayers for part of his presidential campaign.

Inslee announced Wednesday night that he was ending his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

Washington State law orders Inslee’s Executive Protection Unit of state troopers to escort and protect him everywhere he goes.

At the beginning of Inslee’s campaign, his protection unit was deemed too small to keep up with the cross-country travel, so it was forced to expand from eight troopers and a sergeant to 14 troopers, two sergeants and one lieutenant.

An hour of overtime for one of those troopers averages about $72. Early in Inslee’s campaign, Republican lawmakers objected to the expense.

From March until June, the overtime tab paid by taxpayers was just under $268,000. The state Republican Party believes the final figure is going to be closer to $2 million.

Inslee told reporters this week “We’re going to follow Washington law and Washington law is that the Washington State Patrol provides security for the governor and we’re going to follow that law to the teeth.”