How every WA county voted for governor in the 2024 general election
WASHINGTON - Washington state's longtime attorney general and a former sheriff known for his work hunting down the Green River Killer are vying to become the next governor of a Democratic stronghold that hasn’t had an open race for the state's top job in more than a decade.
Democrat Bob Ferguson, who has served as attorney general since 2013, faces former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert in the general election — a race that has featured weeks of intense sparring between the two front-runners in a field of more than two dozen candidates.
Ferguson has framed Reichert, a Republican, as a two-faced candidate whose more moderate rhetoric during this campaign does not align with statements he has made in private or his actions in Congress. Meanwhile, Reichert has painted Ferguson as a candidate who wouldn’t change anything about the state, while providing a continuation of "one-party rule."
In a state with a reputation as solid Democratic territory that hasn’t had a Republican governor in nearly 40 years, any conservative candidate faces an uphill battle. But polling shows Reichert not far behind Ferguson and the race is considered competitive.
Keep reading to see how each county in Washington voted for governor. The results will update automatically as votes are counted.
Washington county-by-county 2024 general election results
What has the campaign between Ferguson, Reichert focused on?
The campaign between Ferguson and Reichert has consistently focused on abortion.
Ferguson’s team often references Reichert’s history of voting for a nationwide ban on abortion, starting at 20 weeks of pregnancy, as evidence of him being "wildly out of touch with the majority of Washingtonians."
Abortion has long been legal in Washington until viability, a determination left up to the judgment of a health care provider, and after that in cases where the pregnant individual's health or life is threatened.
Reichert has pushed back on Ferguson’s characterization and said his only plan for the state’s abortion law if elected governor is to enforce and support it. He accused Ferguson of trying to scare women into not voting for him.
Reichert said as governor he would prioritize public safety, referencing his 33 years, including two terms as sheriff, at the King County Sheriff’s Office and the dozens of sheriffs who have endorsed him.
He was the first King County detective assigned to the case of the Green River Killer, named for the waterway where the first bodies were found in 1982. Gary Ridgway, who killed 49 women, was arrested and convicted in 2003 during Reichert’s second term as sheriff.
Reichert said he also would focus on curbing homelessness, as the Seattle area has one of the nation’s highest rates of homelessness. He suggested moving people from the streets to state-owned land, including McNeil Island, where a facility for sexual predators is located.
"You tell me which one is more ridiculous: Living under a freeway in tents or maybe making a nice, warm, comfortable place on McNeil Island or Evergreen College," he told The Associated Press.
Ferguson was endorsed by state Democratic leaders, including U.S. Senate Pro Tempore Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee, the longest serving governor in office in the country, is not seeking a fourth term. Ferguson points to his record as attorney general, including reaching multi-million dollar settlements with major opioid entities and standing up to former President Donald Trump.
Live general election results for Washington state
Get election results for other races in the 2024 general election in Washington.
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