Democrat Bob Ferguson wins Washington state race for governor

Jeanie Lindsay

November 05, 2024 / 8:34 pm

caption: Democratic governor candidate Bob Ferguson waves to supporters after speaking to a large crowd on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, during the Washington Democrats election night party at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, will become the state's first new governor in more than a decade, according to a race call by The Associated Press.

Ferguson defeated his Republican opponent, former Congressman Dave Reichert.

Reichert’s loss dashed Republicans’ hopes of breaking a decadeslong losing streak for the governor’s office.

The race for governor in Washington was one of only four considered competitive in 2024 according to The Cook Political Report.

Ferguson had been serving as attorney general since his election in 2012. He made national headlines for suing the Trump administration in 2017 over the former president's travel ban on Muslim-majority countries. Ferguson has also joined other states’ attorneys general in lawsuits against the Biden administration that aim to increase access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

Speaking to a packed room of supporters in Seattle on election night, Ferguson addressed the possibility of another Trump presidency.

"There is nobody running for statewide office anywhere in the United States who is more prepared to defend your freedoms against that administration than I am."

The presidential race was too close to call when Ferguson made his remarks on Tuesday.

Ferguson also acknowledged his opponent, Reichert: "Look, campaigns are tough, and I appreciate Dave Reichert stepping up and running for governor. He ran a hard-fought campaign."

Ferguson led Reichert by 13 points on election night, or more than 336,000 votes, with thousands more ballots left to be tallied in the coming days. The Secretary of State's office will certify the final results in the coming weeks.

Reichert said on election night that he did not plan to concede "until the last votes are counted."

"The numbers don’t look good,” Reichert said at his watch party in Bellevue, adding that he's confident nonetheless. “God has a plan.”

He also said while some republicans have talked about moving away from Washington, he wants them to “stay and fight” instead for Republican priorities.

caption: Dave Reichert addresses the Washington State Republican Party, in Bellevue, WA, on Nov. 5.

The Ferguson campaign largely avoided any major controversies ahead of the election, other than one curious incident around the candidate filing deadline in May, when a conservative activist recruited multiple people named Bob Ferguson to file paperwork in order to appear on the primary ballot. Ultimately, the other Bob Fergusons dropped out.

Ferguson’s campaign focused largely on painting Reichert as "too extreme" for Washington, tying the former sheriff to former president Donald Trump, and highlighting Reichert's personal views and congressional voting record on abortion.

caption: Democratic governor candidate Bob Ferguson speaks to a large crowd on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, during the Washington Democrats election night party at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle.

Many have seen Ferguson as a natural successor to outgoing Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee. Throughout the campaign, Ferguson largely avoided criticizing his predecessor or any particular policies approved by his administration.

The governor-elect has faced criticism from the right on issues like crime and past remarks on decriminalizing drug possession. In his campaign, Ferguson promised to boost the number of law enforcement officers in the state and focus on reducing the number of opioid deaths.

Amy Radil contributed to this report.