Washington State Governor Jay Inslee is leaving office and the potential replacement candidates are Dave Reichert and Bob Ferguson. Signs supporting one or the other are littered around Olympia but some barely know who they are.
The Republican candidate, Reichert, is a former detective, sheriff, and congressman. He is best known for the capture of the Green River killer, a notorious serial killer in the 1980s and 1990s. Reichert is a moderate conservative and makes a point of standing out from the alt-right side of the Republican party.
Reichert grew up lower class, even homeless for a time. After serving in the Air Force, Reichert persevered to become a well-known figure in Washington. Now, he is running for Governor as a Republican.
Corey Gauny, Chair of the Thurston County Republicans, endorsed Reichert for his economic policy and moderate conservatism. Gauny commented on Reichert’s background saying “[his experience in] legislature gives [Reichert] additional experience. “ Reichert has also denounced any allegiance to Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. This comes after Reichert beat Semi Bird in the Republican primaries. Bird has repeatedly supported Trump and endorsed him publically.
Bob Iyall, a State Senator candidate, made sure to remain neutral while showing support for aspects of both. Iyall, a self-proclaimed “moderate Democrat”, praised Reichert:
“Reichert has done a great job in law enforcement. I admire his work there.”
On the other side of the aisle, Ferguson is the current Washington State Attorney General. He represents Washington state in any legal action. Ferguson, as a Democrat, is trying to maintain their control of the state of Washington and succeed Jay Inslee.
Ferguson is notably the only candidate who supports Inslee’s Climate Commitment Act and supports voting ‘no’ on Initiative 2117. According to Stephen Reed, the director of communications for Washington Democrats: “[Ferguson] will seek to build on Governor Inslee’s legacy as a climate defender.”
Gun control is one of the more divisive issues between Reichert and Ferguson. Ferguson has repeatedly implemented gun control policies that ban the sale of assault weapons as well as undetectable 3D-printed gun files while Reichert has blocked bills that would make it harder to get guns. Reichert is backed by the NRA and is a firm supporter of the Second Amendment.
While both Ferguson and Reichert base their platforms on bipartisanship, the few partisan issues that will sway voters are gun control, climate change, and abortion rights.
