As if that weren’t enough, Republicans insist they can take Washington state. According to Dave Reichert, this time is genuine.
In 2024, after stepping away from politics for five years, the former representative is considered the party’s leader in the race for the state’s vacant governorship. Republican candidates have lost recent high-profile races in the state, despite their claims that they might be successful despite the state’s overwhelming blue tilt. In 2020, the state was carried by now-President Joe Biden by a margin of 19 points.
However, Reichert has stoked the hopes of both Democrats and Republicans in the state that this race may go the distance.
Reichert boldly declared, “When they say ‘we can’t win in Washington state,’ — we can,” during an interview last month at a spare campaign office here. Assuming you’re the ideal candidate for the job at the correct moment, “you can.”
As a former congressman and sheriff of King County, which includes Seattle and Bellevue, a major hub for tech companies worldwide, Reichert has substantial name recognition in the most populous areas of the state. While in Washington, he belonged to the party’s moderate wing, so portraying him as a MAGA zealot may be more challenging. Reichert contends that an opportunity arises as a result of the state’s problems with homelessness and crime, with a focus on King County, and widespread economic pessimism.
The effectiveness of blue state tough-on-crime policies will be put to the test by Reichert’s candidature, as will the extent to which Republicans, even prominent ones, will be punished by voters for casting a ballot alongside the party’s almost-certain presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump.
Even while Republicans in Washington have very little sway in the state, even a small win would have a huge impact. Neither the party’s governorship nor any statewide elected Republican is in office at the moment, and the gap between the two is approximately thirty years. (In 2021, the last Republican to achieve a statewide victory resigned from her position to serve in Biden’s administration.) Since Trump assumed office, the GOP’s legislative minorities have been even more decimated. Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat, was soundly defeated in a much-touted contest last year.
The Democratic Party is concerned that Reichert is a serious danger. The Northwest Progressive Institute conducted a poll in November that showed the race between Reichert and the leading Democrat, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, as a jump ball. “That roused everyone,” stated Shasti Conrad, chair of the state’s Democratic Party. “Some complacency was evident even among the political class,” the author writes.
Earlier this year, Democratic Governor Jay Inslee caused a stir when he announced he would not be seeking an unprecedented fourth term in office.
“My phone began ringing off the hook the second that occurred,” Reichert remarked. There was support, and the timing was perfect. I had a strong sense of duty, inspiration, and calling to do this.
His lengthy history of public service in the state is an asset in his campaign. Reichert assisted in the apprehension of the notorious serial murderer known as the “Green River killer” during his tenure as sheriff of King County in the early 2000s. Despite his district’s consistent support for Democrats at the national level, he was able to win six consecutive elections for Congress beginning in 2004. He occasionally went against his party’s wishes, such as when he voted to remove the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, but was generally considered one of the more bipartisan House members.
In 2018, as part of their “blue wave,” Democrats took up the seat after he decided not to seek reelection. They still have it.
He mentioned that his name ID in King County is practically at 65% and in Seattle itself it’s around the same. However, knowing the name is only part of it. Because of my background, particularly in law enforcement and in Congress, people relate to me on a personal level.
Reichert has stated that a “broken” criminal justice system, the state’s economy, and homelessness will be the triad of concerns that his campaign will target. Despite the fact that Republicans have been unsuccessful in other high-profile gubernatorial contests in recent years, Reichert argues that Washington is an extreme exception and that these themes would resonate due to the state’s lowest per capita number of law enforcement.
For the past thirty years, I have been aimlessly roaming the forest. “Nothing has changed, and the same government has been in power for years,” he remarked. A change is what we’re after; we’re sick of it.
All throughout the nation, gubernatorial contests have been the last holdouts for those who want to divide the ticket. However, Reichert’s potential cross-over appeal could be eroded by the current national political climate.
Trump and abortion are two factors that have demolished Republican gubernatorial candidates in the past two years, and Reichert will face them head-on. The Democratic Party has already hinted that they will attack Reichert for what they call his “pro-life” position and try to link him to the former president with whom he may run on the same ticket.
Chair of the Democratic Party Conrad stated, “Some of what the poll showed me is that people have forgotten who Reichert is, and we have to continue to remind them of who he is, what he stands for.”. “In the America of Trump, he is a Republican.”
Since beginning his campaign, Reichert has played down the issue of abortion, claiming that it is “settled law” in Washington. (Since 1970, the operation has been fully lawful in the state.)
Furthermore, he stated that “local politics,” and not the presidential election, will determine the outcome of the campaign: “We are sending the message, ‘I am not concerned with the president’.” No one will be able to stand in our way.
During the presidential primary, he chose not to back any candidate and, when asked if he would back the Republican nominee in the end, he responded, “that’s a decision I’m going to make when the time comes.”
Both Reichert and Ferguson must first advance beyond the all-party primary before moving on to a general election showdown; however, Ferguson’s campaign declined to make him available for an interview.
Democratic state senator Mark Mullet, who has clashed with Inslee and party leadership over taxes, and another prominent Republican, Semi Bird, who was recalled from the school board and has some support from the MAGA wing of the party, are also competing.
The favourites, though, are Reichert and Ferguson, and they’re almost certainly going to the general. Since beginning his campaign, Reichert has managed to raise more than $1.2 million. With the help of her campaign fund from previous statewide campaigns and the support of a united Democratic Party, Ferguson has claimed to have raised a far larger sum: $5.6 million.
Recently, Republicans have attempted to win the office of governor in the Pacific Northwest. The two major parties invested heavily in an Oregon open seat campaign during the elections, but the presence of a strong third-party candidate pushed the required victory margin down. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, won by 3.5 points following months of expenditure.
Reichert claims to be certain that this occasion will be distinct.
We looked at when the last time a Republican had a 2% lead in the first few weeks of a campaign. He was unsure if such an occurrence had occurred previously. “It is both unusual and encouraging, which I believe adds to the enthusiasm for this campaign,” the author said.