An education system failing to produce expected outcomes. Transportation projects wildly over budget. Concerns about community safety metastasizing into outright fear.
The next governor of Washington will face all these challenges and many more in an atmosphere of increased political polarization and coarsening civic discourse.
Of the 28 gubernatorial candidates on the primary ballot, Democrat Bob Ferguson is best positioned to lead Washington through the next four years. His experience as state attorney general, his detailed policy positions and his willingness to tackle tough issues give him the edge in a crowded field.
The editorial board makes this decision with caveats. The good Bob Ferguson is smart, hardworking and fearless. The other Bob Ferguson can occasionally appear petty, pushy and overly ambitious.
To wit: Before he had a change of heart, Ferguson initially refused to disclose the names of donors when he transferred their political contributions from his past attorney general campaigns to his gubernatorial campaign. He also faced blowback for allegedly pressuring the secretary of state to rearrange the primary ballot to clear up confusion after two other people with his name filed to run for governor.
To be successful, Ferguson must recognize his weaknesses and resist the impulse to press every advantage like a trial lawyer or grandmaster of chess — one of his longtime passions. Moderation in service of consensus is not just to be nice. It is how the state will successfully summit the steep mountains ahead.
“Whatever folks think of my time in public life, it’s been one track — not accepting the status quo and embracing change, even if it means taking on my own party over and over again,” he told the editorial board. “That is part of my record. You will not have a status quo governor when I’m elected.”
As a member of the Metropolitan King County Council in 2004, Ferguson supported shrinking the council from 13 members to nine — a move that earned him the label of “maverick” from HistoryLink.org, an online encyclopedia. As state attorney general since 2013, he filed lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, though he gained the most attention for his headline-grabbing legal actions against several of former President Donald Trump’s policies.
He unsuccessfully appealed a ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court that forced the state to pay 100% of the cost of fixing roadways that blocked salmon streams, regardless of other barriers. Ferguson’s moves angered local tribes at the time, but his concerns proved prescient as billions of state dollars have been spent for the benefit of relatively few fish, as The Times reported.
On education, Ferguson said schools are underfunded, adding: “I talk to folks across the state, and a refrain I’ve heard is individuals in Washington want a greater focus on education issues for K-12 and higher education.”
He would support a constitutional amendment eliminating the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction and instead put an education director in his cabinet for greater accountability.
As for Washington’s low rate of local kids graduating from high school and going on to further education, Ferguson said the Legislature has done a good job of lowering financial barriers. Now it’s a matter of effective communication. “I’ll show up at high schools and talk about this. We’ll put folks in schools to communicate directly to young people that this is a possibility for them.”
Ferguson opposes expanding public charter schools, which were authorized by voter initiative. His view is disappointing, shortsighted and runs counter to the Washington Board of Education’s recent recommendations to expand their number and consider more funding, especially since recent data suggests charters are working for many children who have been poorly served in traditional schools.
While Ferguson has pledged not to invoke executive privilege as governor, the AG’s office, under his tenure, has been indolent on several issues of government transparency, the Washington Coalition for Open Government concluded in its February report. WashCOG faults the agency for closing requests without adequate notice and for public records advice that skews more toward government protection than transparency.
On behavioral health, Ferguson said Western State Hospital — the beleaguered inpatient psychiatric facility that lost federal accreditation and $53 million in annual funding in 2018 — needed focused attention.
“Western State is another example of a state institution that is, to put it mildly, not meeting its obligation to the people,” he said, adding that, if elected governor, he would set up an office at Western State in Steilacoom for a week.
“It’ll take that level of engagement from the governor because of all the issues with Western State, which are profound and unacceptable … I’ve learned from my time as attorney general the best way to get culture change in the office is to get personally involved in issues where they know I’m deeply engaged. That’s what it’s going to take with Western State.”
Asked whether he would change or lower the standard to commit someone to a secure facility for mental health treatment, Ferguson said he was “open to that conversation.”
On public safety, Ferguson would submit a budget to the Legislature that includes $100 million for local jurisdictions to hire more police — an idea first proposed by a Republican lawmaker.
In 2022, 61% of violent crimes reported to police in Washington went unsolved. To turn that around, Ferguson’s public safety plan includes cold case investigations and improving the state crime lab and toxicology lab.
Three other front-runners emerged in the race.
Democratic state Sen. Mark Mullet is an impressive public servant with strong support on the editorial board. His brand of centrist politics is rare and badly needed in Olympia. For whatever reason, his candidacy has not caught fire, and he has spent energy dinging Ferguson instead of fleshing out and promoting policy positions. This may not be his race, but Mullet should look to other opportunities to serve the public. The Senate is losing an important leader.
Republican Dave Reichert, a former congressman who touts his tenure as King County sheriff from 1997 to 2005, offered conflicting views on a wide range of issues, saying one thing to the editorial board and another to his supporters.
On abortion, he told the board: “I don’t intend and or desire to push my personal belief on other people. I really believe we all have a free will. And the other thing is, the law is the law. And I don’t think we should be making those decisions.”
At a town hall in April, Reichert was asked about surgeries for transgender people and eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood. As KUOW reported, Reichert responded by noting state law protected abortions “but what we have to do now is work toward unraveling all that,” according to audio from the event provided by the Ferguson campaign.
Reichert wouldn’t tell the board who he supports for president, but then pantomimed nodding when telling a Republican group what he does when asked whether he supports Trump, according to an account of the meeting provided by Ferguson’s camp.
Semi Bird, the former Richland School Board member who won the state Republican Party’s endorsement for governor, does not have sufficient experience or policy chops to be seriously considered for the job.
It seems Ferguson has spent his entire political career in service of a run for the governor’s mansion. That kind of ambition is good and bad. Over the years, it has produced both policy wins and eye-rolling skepticism.
The bottom line is this: Ferguson has delivered positive results for the state. His values largely mirror those of most Washingtonians. He will not be overwhelmed by the job.
Voters ought to choose Bob Ferguson for governor.