Poll: Dave Reichert ahead of Bob Ferguson in WA governor race

A new poll shows that Washington voters might have their first Republican governor in nearly 40 years, as candidate Dave Reichert leads Bob Ferguson by 2%.

In polling done by The Northwest Progressive Institute, a head-to-head race between Ferguson, the leading Democratic candidate, and Reichert, the leading Republican candidate, showed the latter edging out the former in a slim race.

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Of the 700 likely Washingtonian voters, 46% surveyed said that they would support Reichert if the election happened today, compared to 44% who said they would vote for Ferguson.

Reichert served as King County sheriff from 1997-2004 and was elected to Congress in 2004 as the representative for the 8th district, which stretches from Sammamish and Issaquah to Leavenworth. He did not seek reelection after completing his seventh term in 2017.

He might be best known as the former law enforcement officer who helped track down the Green River Killer.

Ferguson is Washington’s 18th Attorney General, graduating from New York University Law School. Some of his more notable work came from filing multiple legal actions against the U.S. Department of Energy regarding the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Both of his lawsuits led to successful outcomes.

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In a broader poll, several other candidates, including Republican Semi Bird and Democrat Mark Mullet, were listed as additional candidates, which brought Ferguson and Reichert to an even 31% of the vote. Bird polled at 10% of support and Mullet polled at 5%, with 22% of respondents saying they weren’t sure.

The 2024 Washington gubernatorial election will be held on November 5, 2024.