WA governor hopeful Reichert determined to beat the odds

Dave Reichert determined to beat the odds in WA governor race

The former King County Sheriff turned congressman hopes to secure a historic victory as Washington's first Republican governor in over four decades.

SEATTLE - Less than a week to the election, and there are a lot of eyes on the race for president. But in Washington, voters will also elect a new governor.

Bob Ferguson and Dave Reichert are facing off to succeed Jay Inslee.

For Reichert, it is a culmination of a long career in law enforcement and public service, though he says the attack ads on him are relentless and he doesn’t have the money to always fight back.

"It’s hard to get your truth out, hard to get your word out," said Reichert. "We’re being outspent 80 to one."

He’s also frustrated about the attack ads he says are getting it wrong when it comes to his stance on abortion while in Congress.

Reichert says he voted for viability of the fetus at 20 weeks, and that is not far from the law in the state of Washington, which is 24 weeks.

"I have always recognized and accepted and supported the exceptions for rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is endangered."

2024 Election: One-on-one with Dave Reichert

Dave Reichert is counting on Republicans and Democrats in Washington to vote for him in the 2024 general election.

Right now, Dave Reichert is a bit of a political nomad, running as a Republican, but at odds with his own state party. He chose not to seek their endorsement when they refused to back his candidacy at the Republican convention in Spokane.

"That was such a dishonest and to me very disrespectful way to conduct business," said Reichert. "This was not rough and tumble politics. It was devious and underhanded politics to say the least, and I walked out of that convention because of that. I think people realize I’m a man of principle and I’ll do the right thing when I need to do the right thing."

He is trying to run as a traditional conservative at a time when many in his party are behind Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, and Reichert says he will vote for neither Trump or Kamala Harris.

"What it means is that I’m my own person, and that I’ll make decisions based on fact, that I’m not tied to any political party, or beholden to one. I’m here as a person who wants to make a difference in Washington state because I care about the people here."

Not surprisingly, the former King County Sheriff says public safety is his top priority, with an emphasis on recruiting more officers in the state. Recent data shows the number of law enforcement officers in Washington has fallen to the lowest on record, and the lowest in the country.

Reichert also wants to focus on going after the gangs and cartels bringing dangerous drugs into the state, along with doing a better job of combating domestic violence and human trafficking.

"I’ve spent my entire career protecting women," said Reichert. "I grew up in a family of domestic violence. As a child, I was protecting my mother and my two sisters from domestic violence, and abuse at home."

The need to protect the vulnerable led him into a career and life in law enforcement. Ultimately, he became the lead detective, chasing down Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer.

"I spent nine years collecting dead bodies of little girls and young women and never gave up on that case."

Reichert says the same tenacity that brought Ridgeway to justice led him to a career in Congress, and now the will to beat the odds and become the first Republican governor in Washington state in more than 40 years.

"This is a grueling process, but I dedicated myself, just like the entire team did for all those years to solve the Ridgway case. That’s just who I am."

Reichert is also a self-proclaimed workout addict, and has been exercising and lifting weights for decades. At 74, he looks the same as he did 20 years ago. He says he has the energy and the knowledge to serve as governor if the voters do something they haven’t done since the 80s: elect a Republican.

"I want to make an effort to show people that government can be a servant. The government should be serving the people, and I hear it all across the state. Everyone feels like we’re getting top down directives from Olympia, and they’re tired of it. They want to be a part of the solution, they don’t want to be dictated to, and they want a government that’s honest."

Featured