By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
In an unusual campaign move, except, perhaps, in a state where Democrats have held the governor’s office for nearly four decades, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has declared on social media his delight at being endorsed by gun control proponents.
Ferguson is vying for the governor’s office to succeed retiring three-term Gov. Jay Inslee. However, he faces strong opposition from former Republican Congressman Dave Reichert, who also served as King County Sheriff in the 1990s. Another Republican in the race is Semi Bird, a former school board member based in the conservative Tri-City area of Eastern Washington.
“I’m proud to be the only candidate endorsed by organizations fighting for reproductive freedom,” Ferguson writes on “X” (formerly Twitter), “responsible gun safety, and clean air and water. With their support, we’ve been winning big fights throughout my time as Attorney General – and we’ll continue to win them when I’m Governor.”
Ferguson’s campaign website shows he has garnered scores of unsurprising endorsements from various groups and individuals, but Reichert is supported by at least 30 of the state’s 39 county sheriffs, a situation which might prove awkward for the attorney general. Ferguson, as the state’s top law enforcement official, has in the past cautioned Evergreen State sheriffs about refusing to enforce restrictive gun control laws, earning him no friends in the law enforcement community.
Reichert also has the support of rank-and-file law enforcement organizations in King and Pierce counties, plus the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs. Under Inslee and Ferguson over the past dozen years, crime is up, especially homicides in Seattle and statewide. Many Washingtonians are fed up with what appears to be a soft-on-crime approach by Democrats.
Gun owners in the state are also furious with Ferguson for his cozy relationship with gun control groups. He has successfully lobbied for bans on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines,” which are now being challenged in federal court.
