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Ferguson, Reichert advance to November’s general election in Washington governor’s race

Gubernatorial candidate Bob Ferguson speaks to gathered supporters at his watch party on primary night Tuesday in Seattle. (Jennifer Buchanan/Seattle Times)
Gubernatorial candidate Bob Ferguson speaks to gathered supporters at his watch party on primary night Tuesday in Seattle. (Jennifer Buchanan/Seattle Times)
By Ellen Dennis ellend@spokesman.com(206) 486-5723

Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republican Dave Reichert will advance to the November general election after placing in the top two spots of the primary race for Washington’s next governor.

Primary election ballots tallied Tuesday night showed Ferguson taking a strong lead with 45% of the vote, followed by Reichert, who picked up 28%. As of Tuesday night, Republican Semi Bird trailed with 9%, putting him out of the running. Democrat Mark Mullet followed further behind, earning 5% of the vote .

Ferguson, 59, has worked as the state’s elected attorney general since 2012.

He has centered his campaign around work he has done as attorney general, including filing more than 50 lawsuits against former President Donald Trump’s administration, including its attempts to crack down on immigrants.

The attorney general held his primary election watch party Tuesday night in Seattle. When statewide vote tallies were released, Ferguson thanked voters across the state.

“The message tonight is clear: Washingtonians are ready to work together to take on our toughest challenges – improving public safety, lowering costs for housing, groceries and child care, and protecting our essential freedoms like the right to choose,” Ferguson said.

Reichert, 73, is a former U.S. representative and the former sheriff of King County. He’s running a campaign centered around law and order and said his experience in law enforcement is just what the state needs in its next governor.

The former sheriff held his primary election watch party Tuesday night in Puyallup. He promised to work tirelessly to earn votes from residents who cast a ballot supporting a candidate who will not advance to the November election.

“As I have traveled throughout our beautiful state over the past year, the concerns of Washingtonians have never been more clear,” Reichert said. “People are feeling less safe in their neighborhoods. High costs of living have left far too many struggling to make ends meet.”

This year marks the state’s first incumbent-free race for governor since 2012. Sitting Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, announced last year he would not seek re-election for another four-year term.