SEATTLE – Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, will become the state’s first new governor in more than a decade, according to a race call by The Associated Press.
Ferguson defeated his Republican opponent, former Congressman Dave Reichert.
Reichert’s loss dashed Republicans’ hopes of breaking a decadeslong losing streak for the governor’s office.
The race for governor in Washington was one of four considered competitive in 2024 according to The Cook Political Report.
Ferguson had been serving as attorney general since his election in 2012. He made national headlines for suing the Trump administration in 2017 over the former president’s travel ban on Muslim-majority countries. Ferguson has also joined other states’ attorneys general in lawsuits against the Biden administration that aim to increase access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The Ferguson campaign largely avoided any major controversies ahead of the election, other than one curious incident around the candidate filing deadline in May, when a conservative activist recruited multiple people named Bob Ferguson to file paperwork in order to appear on the primary ballot. Ultimately, the other Bob Fergusons dropped out.
Ferguson’s campaign focused largely on painting Reichert as “too extreme” for Washington, tying the former sheriff to former president Donald Trump, and highlighting Reichert’s personal views and congressional voting record on abortion.
Many have seen Ferguson as a natural successor to outgoing Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee. Throughout the campaign, Ferguson largely avoided criticizing his predecessor or any particular policies approved by his administration.
The governor-elect has faced criticism from the right on issues like crime and past remarks on decriminalizing drug possession. In his campaign, Ferguson promised to boost the number of law enforcement officers in the state and focus on reducing the number of opioid deaths.
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