OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington gubernatorial candidates Bob Ferguson (D) and Dave Reichert (R) may offer voters differing visions of the state’s future, but they are both honing in on policing ahead of the statewide Aug. 6 primary election.
Attorney General Ferguson’s campaign is airing an advertisement citing 2022 data showing that Washington has a low number of law enforcement officers per capita compared to other states and promising that he will hire additional police.
“Public safety is my top priority, I’ll fire more police and first responders,” Ferguson said.
Reichert is highlighting his tenure as King County Sheriff, and arguing that his opponent will fail to hold criminals accountable.
“Law enforcement is facing drug trafficking like they’ve never seen before—we need a governor who will hold traffickers accountable,” Reichert said on social media Tuesday.
Ferguson and Reichert’s focus on hiring additional police illustrates a change in political tone across Washington compared to just a few years ago, when racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin caused a flurry of police reform policies in Washington.
One of the most prominent of those bills, which placed limits on police car chases, was scrapped by the legislature in 2024.
The recently released 2023 Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs report shows that crime is down across the Evergreen State, but hate crimes and theft have increased.
