Democrats hope to keep the winning streak alive in the Washington governor’s race

SEATTLE (AP) — Former Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is hoping to keep the governor’s mansion in Democratic hands as former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert tries to become the state’s first GOP governor in four decades.

The two are seeking to replace three-term Governor Jay Inslee, who declined to seek re-election.

Ferguson, 59, has been the state’s attorney general since 2013. He rose to national prominence by repeatedly suing former President Donald Trump’s administration, including filing the lawsuit that blocked Trump’s initial travel ban on citizens of several Muslim countries.

Reichert, 74, served two terms as elected sheriff of King County, which includes Seattle, before spending seven terms in Congress. Reichert highlighted his 33 years with the sheriff’s office, including helping track down Green River serial killer Gary Ridgway.

Reichert faced an uphill battle in a state considered a Democratic stronghold. Ferguson received about 45% of the vote in the August primary qualify for the general electioncompared to about 27% for Reichert. Another Republican in that race, military veteran Semi Bird, received about 11% of the primary vote.

Reichert spent much of the campaign fending off Ferguson’s accusations that he would not protect abortion rights. Ferguson’s team often referred to Reichert’s history of voting for the entire country ban on abortion starting at 20 weeks gestation as evidence that he was “out of touch with the majority of Washingtonians.”

Abortion has long been legal in Washington until it was viable, a decision left to the discretion of a health care provider, and then in cases where the health or life of the pregnant person was threatened. Reichert vowed to enforce state law: “I will protect your rights, ladies,” he said during a debate.

According to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, public safety was also a key theme in the campaign, with the state experiencing an increase in violent crime and ranking last in law enforcement officers per capita for more than a dozen years in a row of the population. Both candidates promised to hire more police.

Ferguson’s plan includes providing $100 million to help local jurisdictions bring on more officers, including through hiring bonuses. Reichert argued that elected officials must show they support law enforcement, including by protecting qualified immunity laws, to recruit more officers.

Ferguson has charged three Tacoma police officers in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was held face down on a sidewalk as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. A jury acquitted them of second-degree murder and manslaughter last year.