Attorney General
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Ferguson (D) | 1,356,225 | 55.85% |
| Matt Larkin (R) | 575,470 | 23.70% |
| Brett Rogers (R) | 296,843 | 12.22% |
| Mike Vaska (G) | 199,826 | 8.23% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
The Candidates
Bob Ferguson
- Party:
- Democratic
- Age:
- 59
- City:
- Seattle, Washington
- Occupation:
- Lawyer
Education: Graduated from Bishop Blanchette High School in Seattle in 1983. Earned bachelor’s from the University of Washington and law degree from New York University.
Work experience: Law clerk for U.S. District Judge Frem Nielsen in Spokane and 8th Circuit Court of Appeals; attorney at Preston Gates Ellis.
Political experience: Elected King County Council 2003, re-elected 2007. Elected attorney general in 2012, re-elected 2016.
Family: Married to Colleen Ferguson. Has two children.
Campaign finances: Raised almost $4 million as of Sept. 29, 2020 with $4,000 maximum contributions from at least 43 individuals or groups, including the Spokane Firefighters Union, state Auto Dealers Political Action Committee, Building and Construction Trades PAC, state Medical PAC and Democratic Attorneys General Association.
Matt Larkin
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 42
- City:
- Tacoma, Washington
Education: Graduated from King’s High School in 2000. Earned bachelor’s in political and social sciences at Westmont College in 2004. Earned law degree from Gonzaga Law School in 2007. Earned Master of Law from George Washington University in 2009.
Work experience: Attorney in private practice for Romac Industries, a family manufacturing business. Former Pierce County deputy prosecutor, former assistant director of presidential speech writing for George W. Bush; former student extern for Spokane County prosecutor’s office.
Political experience: First run for office.
Family: Married to Shelly Larkin. Has four children.
Campaign finances: Raised almost $387,000 as of Sept. 29, 2020 with $70,000 in personal funds and $4,000 maximum contributions from 12 donors including family members and Romac Industries. Raised almost $387,000 as of Sept. 29, with $70,000 in personal funds and $4,000 maximum contributions from 12 donors including family members and Romac Industries.
Brett Rogers
- Party:
- Republican
- City:
- Lake Stevens, Washington
Originally from Wisconsin, moved to Washington in 1996.
Education: Graduated from high school in Madison, Wisconsin in 1987. Earned associate degree in criminal justice University of Wisconsin Oshkosh; earned bachelor’s at Andrew Jackson University and law degree from Seattle University in 2007.
Work experience: Currently director of parking enforcement in the Seattle Police Department. Closed solo law practice in 2019 to run for office. Formerly an investigator for Seattle Public Schools. Seattle police officer, 2016-19 .
Political experience: First run for office
Family: Married, three adult children
Mike Vaska
- Party:
- GOP
- City:
- Puyallup, Washington
Originally from Michigan, moved to Redmond at age 5
Education: Graduated from Lake Washington High School; earned bachelor’s in economic and history at Stanford University. Earned law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985.
Work experience: Shareholder and owner of Foster Garvey law firm, specializing in consumer protection and anti-trust cases.
Political experience: Ran for attorney general in 2004.
Family: Married, two adult children.
Complete Coverage
After success taking on Trump, Bob Ferguson faces Matt Larkin in bid for third term as AG
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who has taken on the Trump administration 80 times in four years, faces GOP challenger Matt Larkin.
Ferguson asks judge to reverse Postal Service changes ahead of election
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson asked a federal judge in Yakima late Wednesday to reverse what the state’s top lawyer called “drastic changes” at the U.S. Postal Service, claiming the recent moves jeopardize mail delivery across the country ahead of November’s election.
Washington leads suit against Arctic Refuge drilling
Washington will lead a coalition of 15 states challenging the Trump administration’s decision to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and natural gas production.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson files suit against Juul, says e-cig maker markets to kids
The nation’s largest producer of e-cigarettes has illegally targeted kids, the state claims in a major consumer protection lawsuit filed Wednesday.
Washington’s voter-approved semiautomatic rifle restrictions constitutional, judge rules
A law restricting the sale of semiautomatic rifles approved by voters in 2018 is constitutional, a federal judge ruled Monday.
Ferguson joins California AG in suit against Trump administration over environmental law
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has joined California’s attorney general in filing a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of illegally relaxing environmental reviews of federal projects.
State challenges new rule on moving liquefied natural gas by rail
Washington has joined other states in challenging new federal rules that would allow for liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail car.
Washington sues over postal service changes as USPS backtracks on planned closures in Eastern Washington
As Washington and some 20 other states began challenging changes to the U.S. Postal Service in court, the postmaster general announced he was suspending those changes at least until after the election.
Two Democrats to face off for Washington lieutenant governor in November
A Democrat is almost guaranteed to be Washington’s next lieutenant governor.
Washington, Ferguson join lawsuit against Trump administration water pollution rule
Washington is one of 20 states and the District of Columbia to challenge a federal rule, taking effect in September, that the states say limits their ability to enforce water quality standards when reviewing federal building projects. The Trump administration has pushed for the revisions, citing job creation and improving the U.S. energy market.
Three Republicans challenging Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s bid for third term
The difference four years makes in Washington elections is probably most obvious in the state attorney general’s race.
State attorney general calls for new law requiring uses of deadly force to be reported
OLYMPIA – In a report to the legislature released Tuesday, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson recommends law enforcement across the state begin reporting all uses of deadly force.
Washington state lawsuit alleges price-fixing by StarKist and rival tuna conglomerates
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is saying “Sorry Charlie” to StarKist tuna and the former CEO of competitor Bumble Bee, suing both for price-fixing he contends bilked consumers of millions of dollars.
Washington state sues Trump administration over which college students should get coronavirus aid
Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office filed a lawsuit in federal court this week, alleging the Education Department is ignoring the will of Congress in limiting which college and university students should receive money set aside in a $2 trillion assistance package. The Department says it’s ensuring eligible students receive help.
With Inslee running for re-election, other Democrats staying put
By running for a third term, Gov. Jay Inslee has kept more Democrats in place in the 2020 elections but energized Republicans.
Beware of COVID-19 scams, state and federal officials warn
State and federal officials are warning Washington residents to beware of phony COVID-19 treatments that can be harmful to their health as they see a rise in scams and false testing kits circulating through social media.
Washington attorney general again sues Facebook over campaign ads
The state of Washington is suing Facebook – again – for selling political ads without disclosing all necessary information about who’s behind them
State sues Greyhound for allowing warrantless ‘sweeps’ at Intermodal Center
By allowing warrantless “immigration sweeps” at Spokane’s Intermodal Center, Greyhound is violating state laws that protect consumers and prevent discrimination, a lawsuit filed Tuesday contends.
Spokane Amazon ‘hustler’ among online sellers accused of price-gouging COVID-19 supplies
The state is accusing five online sales operations, including one in Spokane, of price gouging on scarce supplies during the COVID-19 emergency.
Shawn Vestal: Let’s keep the region’s history in the region – on the very land where it occurred
Around a century ago, the Uyeji family came to America from Japan, settling in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Seattle known as Pontiac. They lived there and farmed the land, in an area now known as Hawthorne Hills, along with their Japanese-American neighbors. In 1942, when the U.S. government ordered all Japanese-Americans within certain areas along the coasts, known as “exclusion zones,” to be moved to camps in the country’s interior, the Uyejis were taken to first one, then another internment camp in California, according to Discover Nikkei, a website that tracks the histories of Japanese immigrants to America.