GOP leaders praise Governor Ferguson’s tax stance: ‘Finally, a Democrat who gets it’

In a rare moment of something close to political harmony in Olympia, Republican leaders in the Washington state House and Senate sounded almost…optimistic?

That’s right—at Tuesday’s weekly Republican leadership press conference, the usual warnings and warnings-about-warnings were still there, but the tone shifted when the talk turned to Democratic Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and his surprising willingness to oppose some of his own party’s long-favored tax ideas, including the controversial wealth tax.

“We finally have a governor who is engaged and cares and has some good ideas,” House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary (R-Auburn) said, sounding as if he had just spotted a unicorn trotting past the Capitol dome.

The Republican leaders didn’t go full kumbaya, but they were clearly warming up to Ferguson’s more centrist tone—especially his comments at a recent press conference, where he said he would veto a wealth tax and didn’t want to raid the rainy-day fund.

Stokesbary summed it up like this: “He has said plainly that he will veto a wealth tax… and he does not want to make Washington state home to a wealth tax that will kill innovation and kill all future budget growth.”

Now, sure, there was still plenty of shade thrown at Democratic legislative leadership. Republicans accused House and Senate Democrats of being out of step with the broader Washington public and too beholden to their “far-left caucuses.” But when it came to the governor, the tone shifted to something Washington politics hasn’t seen in a while: grudging respect.

They even praised Ferguson for being willing to actually talk to them.

“I very much appreciate that,” said Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R-Centralia) about their recurring sit-downs with the governor. “There are many things we don’t agree on, but there are things we do agree on… he’s been willing to listen to our points of view.”

More on Ferguson’s budget

That’s a big deal in Olympia, where partisan trench warfare has often replaced actual policy debate. For Republicans, the biggest applause line of Ferguson’s press conference last week was his insistence on responsible budgeting—no new taxes, no dipping into emergency reserves, and no banking on rosy revenue projections that might not pan out.

Republican lawmakers repeatedly emphasized that Ferguson is offering Democrats in the legislature a way out—an “opportunity to self-reflect and correct themselves,” Senator Keith Wagoner (R-Sedro-Woolley) said, with just a dash of political snark.

“I hope they take that opportunity the governor has given them,” he added, clearly implying that if the majority party ignores Ferguson’s veto threats, the whole session could go off the rails and land in special session territory.

“I don’t think they (Democrats) want to try to call his bluff because that will send us into a special session for no reason whatsoever,” Stokesbary said. “The question is whether House or Senate Democratic leadership is going to work with the Democratic governor who was elected by the entire state—or if they’re going to cater to the far-left flank of their internal caucus.”

Republicans push back on rent control bill

This more hopeful tone didn’t mean Republicans were rolling over on every issue. When it came to the rent control legislation that passed the House and is on its way to a Senate floor vote, they were back to their usual firebrand selves, calling the current bill “the worst rent control bill on the West Coast.”

They warned it would “kill all the small operators” and send investment fleeing across state lines. Still, even there, they admitted to being open to alternative versions of the bill—especially one that focused on longer notice periods for renters instead of hard caps on rent increases.

So, no, Republicans aren’t switching party affiliations or writing love letters to Bob Ferguson. But they are making it crystal clear: if the Democratic governor is willing to break with his own party on taxes and show signs of moderation, they’re ready to meet him halfway.

At least for now.

Matt Markovich is the KIRO Newsradio political analyst. Follow him on X.

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