The Democrats have started the race for Washington governor: Today So Far

• With two Democrats running to be Washington's next governor, the state's gubernatorial race is on.
• What about the state Republicans?
• Also, what's up with the word "gubernatorial?"

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for May 11, 2023.

The Democrats have started the race for Washington's next governor.

Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has officially announced that she is running. Technically, Attorney General Bob Ferguson has only announced an exploratory campaign, but we all know where that is headed. He was ready to run for governor in 2019 before Inslee went for a third term. And it's not like his exploratory team is going to come back with polls showing voters suddenly don't like chess players. So we have two prominent Washington state Democrats aiming for the governor's office. This boils down to folks inevitably calling Ferguson "Fergy" in conversation, and me increasing the number of times I have to copy edit the extra "l" out of "Hilary" in future coverage of Franz.

We've already covered Ferguson's run. Franz's announcement this week follows a similar formula — local and personal, family history, with adequate bragging about accomplishments. She's leaning heavily into environmental issues, as well as local cost-of-living woes.

"While our planet changes, our laws don't keep up. On climate and across the board, we are paying the price. Wages are slow to rise. Housing is through the roof. Child care is out of reach. This is the harsh reality for too many in our state," Franz says in her first campaign video.

There is still plenty of time for more Democrats to enter the mix, which is likely. But with these two prominent gubernatorial candidates, Democrats will have to consider whether they prefer someone who does well in a tie, or a candidate who does well in a cowboy hat. She's a little bit country, and he's a little bit, well, Ferguson is more like Devo I suppose. So that metaphor doesn't exactly work, but you get the idea.

By the way, while we're on the subject, what's the deal with the word "gubernatorial?" Read more about that below.

The recent news means that the Democrats are so far dominating the conversation around Washington's next governor. What about the Republicans? I've previously covered the GOP angle in all this. In short, Republicans have a positive outlook toward 2024. So far, however, no prominent Republicans have indicated they will consider a gubernatorial campaign. Yes, there is Semi Bird, who announced his run way back in November 2022. Still, there is not a lot of chatter on that end of the spectrum. There was talk about potential for Republican Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier, but he has indicated that he's not interested.

Former Washington Congressmember Jaime Herrera Beutler is another GOP name that has been tossed around. KUOW's David Hyde recently caught up with her in Leavenworth. She said that she hasn't "closed any doors" when it comes to a potential gubernatorial race, but also hasn't made any decisions around it.

Washington's current Gov. Jay Inslee is still on the job and recently cancelled the Covid-19 vaccine requirement for state employees. As TSF covered earlier this week, even more pandemic-era measures are falling away. Starting today, the state's vaccine requirement for employees to stay in their jobs is nixed, meaning a population of folks no longer have to find religion to stay at work.

With the recent move, Washington aligns with the federal government, which also just dropped its own vaccine requirement. State employees who were fired or resigned over the vaccine rule will now be welcome to reapply. Also, employees could get $1,000 if they opt to stay up-to-date on their Covid shots. Read more here.

AS SEEN ON KUOW

KinectAir CEO Jonathan Evans disembarks from a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft in Kalispell after joining a customer's flight from Vancouver, Washington. For a few years now, aviation enthusiasts have teased the idea of a Jetsons-style future in which small electric aircraft whisk us to work or across the state and region. That future is not here yet, though a handful of companies, including one based in the Pacific Northwest, are trying to get a head start on the future of flying using conventional planes. (Northwest News Network)

DID YOU KNOW?

As more and more headlines emerge for the 2024 Washington gubernatorial race, we're going to see that word a lot more — "gubernatorial." What the heck is a "gubernatorial," and why can't I get away with making jokes around this word and all the goobers in politics? I mean, other than the fact that it's mean and unprofessional.

Think about it. "President" converts to "presidential." "Congress" converts to "congressional." And then we have "governor" and "gubernatorial."

According to some previous public radio reporting, "governor" enters English in the 14th century. We got it from the French. But in the 16th century, when everybody was falling in love with classic Latin again, "gubernator" enters the language. Both mean the same thing — an official who governs. The popularity of the Latin version was short-lived, which is sad, because Arnold Schwarzenegger was a governor, and we could have called him "The Gubernator." Such a missed opportunity. The adjective, "gubernatorial," however, has survived to this day. "Gubernatorial" and "governor" reflect the same meaning, and exist alongside each other in modern American English.

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

Here's what to expect in the U.S. as Title 42 ends for asylum-seekers

As Title 42 is set to expire Thursday, security officials are bracing for what could be an unprecedented influx of migrants seeking asylum along the southern border. The Covid-era public health measure allowed for the quick expulsion of migrants at the border and nearly halted the processing of asylum applications for more than three years. Once Title 42 is lifted, the tens of thousands of people who have been waiting in Mexico after fleeing from violence, poverty and political instability will be subject to decades-old immigration protocols known as Title 8.

SUBSCRIBE TO TODAY SO FAR