‘He’s ill-equipped’: Rep. Jim Walsh fires back after Bob Ferguson calls him gutless

Following Rep. Jim Walsh’s appearance on “The Jason Rantz Show” on Seattle Red 770 AM, where he said he is considering a 2028 gubernatorial campaign, Washington’s current Governor, Bob Ferguson, took to social media to challenge his statements.

“Jim, you’re a big talker, but we all know you won’t have the guts to actually take me on,” Ferguson wrote on X.

Jim, you’re a big talker, but we all know you won’t have the guts to actually take me on. https://t.co/VbGr1LmLNX

— Bob Ferguson (@BobFergusonGov) May 30, 2026

In light of the interaction over social media, Walsh joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to set the stage and challenge the governor in a series of debates.

“I am a state senator, Curley. I am a state legislator, and I am a man of the people,” Walsh said. “I am not a declared candidate for governor. No matter what the current governor says, no matter how stupid his social media staff tries to coax me into some battle royale, I am focused on my job, and that is being a legislator for the 19th district. So, Mr. Ferguson and his minions can try to pick a fight, but all I will say is I challenge the current governor to a series of once-a-month Lincoln-Douglas-style debates, no notes, no staff, no scripts.

“Ferguson, just you and me and a moderator,” Walsh continued. “One topic a month, relevant to the law, budgets, and the economy of Washington, and you and I will go mano a mano debating policy points. We will talk about the law, regulatory problems, failing public schools, unsafe streets, his unconstitutional state income tax, his raid on cops and firefighters’ pensions, we’ll talk about it all, Mr. Governor, let’s debate old school. Curley can be one of the moderators.”

‘I suspect he’s ill-equipped’: Walsh on why he wants Ferguson on a debate stage

Curley questioned whether Walsh believed Ferguson would be ill-equipped to debate some of the issues mentioned.

“Well, I want to find out,” Walsh said. “I suspect he’s ill-equipped, but maybe I’m wrong. Let’s see if the current governor will stand for an old-school, focused-on-the-issues debate. None of his Trump derangement syndrome, none of his diversions and evasions. Let’s talk about the law. Let’s talk about public policy. Let’s talk about schools and cops and firefighters and roads and bridges, all the essential things that state government does.”

In the first week alone, Washingtonians have signed the initiative to repeal the new income tax 92,780 times.

In one week, nearly 100,000 Washingtonians signed an initiative to repeal the state’s new income tax on millionaires, a bill Ferguson sponsored. Walsh noted his pleasure at the turnout against the bill, but also found that the positive response to the initiative could be a sign that the political tide is turning in Washington.

“I’m very excited. This is the reason that Ferguson is so nervous and unhinged, and is trying to pick fights with me,” Walsh said. “He’s trying to divert away from the fact that the people are rising up against his tax-and-spend, profligate, irresponsible budgets and tax policy. This is the point at which things begin to shift from the far left back to the middle, politically, here in Washington.

“As it becomes clear that the executive branch was colluding with the legislative branch to write this unconstitutional state income tax scheme, he knows that the people don’t want this, and they’re rising up,” Walsh said. “People reserve the right to speak, and they’re going to speak, and Ferguson, and Senator Jamie Pedersen, and others are freaking out. They’re nervous, and they’re scared, and they should be.”

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