Washington Democratic Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson addresses the media during a news conference in Seattle on Thursday as Attorney General-elect Nick Brown looks on.
The Associated Press
Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson has defeated Republican Dave Reichert in the Washington state governor's race.
The Associated Press called the race for Ferguson about 30 minutes after polls closed in Tuesday's election with Ferguson holding 56% of the returns posted Tuesday night to Reichert's 43%.
Incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee did not run for reelection after serving in the role for the last 12 years.
Ferguson focused his campaign on attacking Reichert’s voting record on abortion during his time in Congress. Reichert supported legislation that would have limited abortion to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Reichert responded in a campaign video, saying, "As governor, I will not change Washington law on this issue,” adding that he doesn’t believe any politician should make such a decision for a woman.
Reichert was King County Sheriff prior to representing Washington's 8th Congressional District from 2005 to 2019. He centered his campaign on going after Ferguson, who has been the state’s attorney general since 2013, and his record on public safety.
Reichert tied Ferguson to Democratic policies that he said have eroded public safety, increased crime and raised the cost of living.
“The homeless crisis is really a drug and substance abuse crisis,” Reichert said during a Sept. 11 televised debate as reported by The Center Square. “He [Ferguson] supported the legislation that legalized drugs on the streets of our cities across this state.”
In the same debate Ferguson said the issue was more complicated than that.
“We agree that the issue of homelessness is complex,” Ferguson noted. “Mental illness, chemical dependency and affordability all play a key role.”
No Republican has won an election as Washington's governor since 1980, when John Spellman was elected. He lost reelection in 1984.
Washington has the longest current streak of Democratic governors in the country. Washington’s contest is one of 11 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2024.