As Washington Gov. Jay Inslee prepares to leave office after more than a decade in the state's top role, two longtime politicians are vying to take his place.
Inslee's preferred heir is Bob Ferguson, 59, a Democrat who has served as Washington's elected attorney general since 2013. Ferguson is being challenged by Republican Dave Reichert, 74, a former U.S. House representative and retired sheriff.
On Sept. 18, the two men took the stage in Spokane for a debate at the Fox Theater put on by the Association of Washington Business and Greater Spokane Inc.
As attendees waited for the debate to start, prominent Democrats and Republicans from across the state milled around in suits for a "cocktail hour and networking" event. Outside the theater, supporters of both candidates waved signs and chanted slogans. Passing cars honked vigorously, but it wasn't always clear who for. The sidewalk was a jumble of red and blue.
SAFETY AND BUSINESS
The Spokane debate came days after prominent local chef Chad White blamed the closure of his restaurant, Zona Blanca, on problems with crime and vagrancy.When asked about Zona Blanca and the broader struggles facing small businesses in Washington, Reichert claimed there are "no consequences when people commit crime."
"We're not allowing cops to enforce the law," Reichert said. "We have to support our police officers, we have to elect officials to support our police officers."
Ferguson brought up his work with the Attorney General's Office suing opioid manufacturers to win more than $1.1 billion, which was redirected to treatment services that will "help address the situation we are seeing."
Washington is ranked last in the nation for law enforcement officers per capita, and both candidates have pledged to hire more police. Ferguson said his first budget as governor will include $100 million to help local jurisdictions recruit more officers.
Reichert has said protecting police from lawsuits is important to help recruitment. It's important to hold police officers accountable, he said, but it's also necessary to ensure that "the Attorney General's Office is not going to come after" police officers when they make a "life and death decision."
One Spokane business leader submitted a question asking the candidates what they would do to ensure local companies aren't disadvantaged by Washington's regulatory environment when competing with businesses in nearby Idaho.
Reichert said he supports reducing regulations, streamlining permits and giving business leaders a "place at the table."
Ferguson pointed to his experience creating a "small business initiative" in the state Attorney General's Office and advocating for small businesses when they're the target of scams. He said he also supports streamlining permitting with a "one-stop shop" for small businesses.
On taxes, both candidates said they want to make sure businesses and families pay less. Ferguson said he supports maintaining the state's working families tax credit and the capital gains tax, which only applies to around 4,000 of the state's wealthiest residents.
Reichert attacked Ferguson for supporting the state's Climate Commitment Act, which created a cap-and-invest program requiring major polluting industries to buy emission "allowances" at auctions. Reichert referred to the law as a "gas tax" because of its (somewhat disputed) role in increasing gas prices in Washington.
Both the capital gains tax and the Climate Commitment Act are at risk of being repealed this year because of initiatives 2109 and 2117, which will both appear on the November ballot. Brian Heywood, the hedge fund manager who bankrolled both initiatives, was in the audience for the Spokane debate.
A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR?
Republicans tend to do well in Spokane County. In 2020, Inslee lost the county by 10 points to Republican challenger Loren Culp, a former police chief.Culp's victory in Spokane did little to help him in the larger race, however, as Washington's heavily populated western counties are deep blue. Inslee sailed to an easy 13-point victory statewide. (Culp, echoing former President Donald Trump, refused to concede.)
Republicans like Culp and Reichert have long been at a disadvantage in statewide Washington elections. The last time Washington elected a Republican for governor was in 1981, and the state's subsequent 39-year streak of Democratic governors is longer than any other state in the country.
Both Reichert and Ferguson are well aware of this. On the campaign trail, Reichert has tried to present himself as a moderate — a reasonable alternative for Washingtonians who dislike Trump but still have frustrations with Inslee's handling of crime and drugs.
"I am asking you to believe that together we can make change in Washington state," Reichert told the debate audience. "A Democrat House, Democrat Senate, working together with, yes, a Republican governor. A balanced government."
Ferguson, for his part, has done everything in his power to remind people that Reichert belongs to the same party as Trump. He has attempted to tie Reichert to "MAGA extremists," and frequently brings up audio clips from closed door meetings that he says show Reichert indicating support for Republican stances on issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights that are unpopular in liberal Washington.
During a debate on Sept. 10, Ferguson chided Reichert for talking about public safety while also supporting a "convicted felon for president who, by the way, is also a convicted sexual abuser."
Reichert responded by claiming that he does not plan to vote for Trump — or Kamala Harris. He denied previous reporting from the Seattle Times that said he had indicated support for Trump during a private GOP meeting.
When asked about LGBTQ+ equality, Reichert said he believes marriage is "between a man and a woman," but would not impose that belief on the people of Washington.
During the debate in Spokane, Ferguson pointed to Reichert's history of voting for a nationwide abortion ban while in Congress.
Reichert said he currently supports the abortion "laws that are on the books of Washington state," and then he pivoted to talking about child care. The non-answer prompted laughter from the Democratic side of the audience, which Reichert responded to by directly addressing the skeptical Ferguson supporters in the theater.
"OK, you want to talk about access? I'm all for access," Reichert said. "I'm absolutely in support of Gov. Inslee's initiatives to supply abortions to people out of state."
Reichert attempted to attack Ferguson by tying him to Inslee and other Washington Democrats' failure to address the homelessness and fentanyl crisis.
"You've been there for 12 years, are you responsible?" Reichert said. "Who do we look to for leadership if no one takes responsibility?"
Ballots are due Nov. 5. ♦
