OLYMPIA, Wash. — Twenty-six candidates have filed to be Washington’s next governor.
After three terms in office, Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee announced he was not running for re-election last year.
Democrat and current Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson leads all candidates in fundraising. His campaign has raised more than $6 million, according to the state’s Public Disclosure Commission.
Two other candidates under the name Bob Ferguson filed for the race Friday afternoon ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline. State law allows candidates with similar names to add language to better identify them, like including a profession or initial.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ferguson's campaign released the following statement: “There’s only one Bob Ferguson who is qualified to be Governor – one who has a long and distinguished career standing up for Washingtonians. There’s no doubt this last-minute filing by two unknown candidates is an effort to deliberately confuse Washington voters."
Former Congressmember and King County Sheriff Dave Reichert tops all Republican hopefuls in fundraising with more than $3 million in donations.
The Washington State Republican Party endorsed Semi Bird at its convention in Spokane last month.
Democratic state Senator Mark Mullet has raised more than $1 million.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, faces nine challengers in her bid for a fifth term in Washington, D.C.
Nearly 1,000 candidates will be on ballots across the state for the August 6 primary.
For a full list of candidates, click here.
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