KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘They all happen to be Republican’: Curley not surprised WA ranked 38th best state to start a business

Aug 11, 2026, 6:03 PM | Updated: 6:03 pm

KIRO host John Curley wasn’t surprised to find out Washington was ranked near the bottom on WalletHub’s list of best states to start a business. Meanwhile, Florida, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, and Idaho were ranked the best states to do business.

“There’s a consistency there,” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “They all happen to be Republican states. You have states that have high taxes. You have states where unions control the lawmakers. This is what we have. It’s not good because you need actual businesses to generate wealth, so that the function of government can siphon that wealth off and redistribute it to special interests. Terrible spot that we’re in, but it’s not news to anybody.”

Curley attributes millionaires’ tax to WA’s low business ranking

Curley noted Democrats have said there is no evidence of people leaving Washington due to the millionaires’ tax. He countered that, urging people to look at the vast number of homes for sale online.

“Just look online,” he said. “You can see the number of homes that have been available and are now on the market. An increase. King County: these are luxury homes that are valued anywhere between $3 million all the way up to like $60 million, an 84% increase year over year. Eastside: 60% increase. Kirkland had a 102% increase from 150 to 303. That is in one year.

“Big luxury homes on the market, and more will hit all the time,” he continued. “Because why? Where are they going? Why are they selling their house? It’s so obvious, and they can leave. And those that can’t leave are going to, unfortunately, be left holding the bag.”

While Washington was ranked the 38th best state to start a business, Rhode Island was ranked the worst state to start a business. Maryland was ranked 49th, Hawaii was ranked 48th, Connecticut was ranked 47th, and New Jersey was ranked 46th.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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‘They all happen to be Republican’: Curley not surprised WA ranked 38th best state to start a business