Current:Home > reviewsDemocrats hope to keep winning streak alive in Washington governor’s race -FundGuru
Democrats hope to keep winning streak alive in Washington governor’s race
View
Date:2025-04-14 04:02:58
Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election.
SEATTLE (AP) — Longtime Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is hoping to keep the governor’s mansion in Democratic hands, while former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert is trying to become the state’s first GOP governor in 40 years.
The two are seeking to replace three-term Gov. Jay Inslee, who declined to seek reelection.
Ferguson, 59, has been the state’s attorney general since 2013. He came to national prominence by repeatedly suing the administration of former President Donald Trump, including bringing the lawsuit that blocked Trump’s initial travel ban on citizens of several majority Muslim nations.
Reichert, 74, served two terms as the elected sheriff of King County, which includes Seattle, before spending seven terms in Congress. Reichert highlighted his 33 years at the sheriff’s office, including helping track down the Green River serial killer, Gary Ridgway.
Reichert faced an uphill battle in a state considered a Democratic stronghold. Ferguson received about 45% of the votes in the August primary to qualify for the general election, compared with about 27% for Reichert. Another Republican in that race, military veteran Semi Bird, got about 11% of the primary vote.
Reichert spent much of the campaign fending off Ferguson’s accusations that he wouldn’t protect abortion rights. Ferguson’s team often referenced Reichert’s history of voting for a nationwide ban on abortion starting at 20 weeks of pregnancy as evidence of him being “wildly out of touch with the majority of Washingtonians.”
Abortion has long been legal in Washington until viability, a determination left up to the judgment of a health care provider, and after that in cases where the pregnant individual’s health or life is threatened. Reichert vowed to enforce state law: “I will protect your rights, ladies,” he said during a debate.
Public safety was also a key issue in the campaign, with the state experiencing a rise in violent crime and ranking last in the nation in law enforcement officers per capita for more than 12 years running, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Both candidates vowed to hire more police.
Ferguson’s plan includes directing $100 million to help local jurisdictions bring more officers on board, including through hiring bonuses. Reichert argued that elected officials need to show they support law enforcement, including by protecting qualified immunity laws, in order to recruit more officers.
Ferguson prosecuted three Tacoma police officers in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was restrained face-down on a sidewalk while pleading that he could not breathe. A jury acquitted them of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges last year.
veryGood! (95381)
Related
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Ashton Kutcher resigns from anti-child trafficking nonprofit over Danny Masterson character letter
- Bernie Taupin says he and Elton John will make more music: Plans afoot to go in the studio very soon
- Maui death toll from wildfires drops to at least 97; officials say 31 still missing
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Low Mississippi River limits barges just as farmers want to move their crops downriver
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra, musicians union agree to 3-year contract
- Tom Brady applauds Shedeur Sanders going 'Brady mode' to lead Colorado to rivalry win
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Thousands of Czechs rally in Prague to demand the government’s resignation
Ranking
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Drew Barrymore Reverses Decision to Bring Back Talk Show Amid Strikes
- Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel suffers a stroke in Florida hospital
- Thousands of Czechs rally in Prague to demand the government’s resignation
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Book excerpt: Astor by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe
- Lots of indoor farms are shutting down as their businesses struggle. So why are more being built?
- Celebrate National Cheeseburger Day on Sept. 18 as McDonald's, Wendy's serve up hot deals
Recommendation
Average rate on 30
Ford and GM announce hundreds of temporary layoffs with no compensation due to strike
Texas AG Ken Paxton was acquitted at his impeachment trial. He still faces legal troubles
Armed man accused of impersonating officer detained at Kennedy campaign event in LA
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
The auto workers strike will drive up car prices, but not right away -- unless consumers panic
Forecasters cancel warnings as Lee begins to dissipate over Maritime Canada
Poland is shaken by reports that consular officials took bribes to help migrants enter Europe and US