Current:Home > ContactDemocrats hope to keep winning streak alive in Washington governor’s race -Secure Horizon Growth
Democrats hope to keep winning streak alive in Washington governor’s race
EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-11 07:29:29
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! (3191)
Related
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Amanda Bynes Shares Why She Underwent Eyelid Surgery
- Patrick Mahomes apologizes for outburst at NFL officials, explicit comments to Bills' Josh Allen
- Arctic report card points to rapid and dramatic impacts of climate change
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Why Shannen Doherty Blames Charmed Costar Alyssa Milano for Rift With Holly Marie Combs
- Broadway audiences are getting a little bit younger and more diverse
- China’s homegrown C919 aircraft arrives in Hong Kong in maiden flight outside the mainland
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Milestone in recovery from historic Maui wildfire
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- ManningCast features two 'Monday Night Football' games at once: What went right and wrong
- Making oil is more profitable than saving the planet. These numbers tell the story
- Starbucks December deals: 50% off drinks and free hot chocolate offerings this month
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Broadway audiences are getting a little bit younger and more diverse
- Millions in opioid settlement funds sit untouched as overdose deaths rise
- Most stressful jobs 2023: Judges, nurses and video editors all rank in top 10
Recommendation
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
As Navalny vanishes from view in Russia, an ally calls it a Kremlin ploy to deepen his isolation
Finland to reopen 2 out of 8 border crossings with Russia after a 2-week closure over migrant influx
Are Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song Married? Why Her Ring Finger Is Raising Eyebrows
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
Death of Adam Johnson sparks renewed interest in guard mandates for youth hockey
Climate activists struggle to be heard at this year's U.N. climate talks
Powerball winning numbers for December 11 drawing: $500 million jackpot awaits