OLYMPIA, Wash. — Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republican Dave Reichert will advance to the November general election.
Ferguson leads the pack of candidates with 45% of the vote. Reichert trails Ferguson with 28% of the vote.
The top two vote-getters will move on to the Nov. 5 general election.
Counties will release additional results in the days after the election as more ballots are counted. Additional results are typically released daily.
Ferguson, the current state attorney general, was first elected as Washington’s attorney general in 2012. He also previously served on the King County Council.
After initial results were released Aug. 6, KING 5 political analyst and former state Gov. Gary Locke said Ferguson will need to continue focusing on his top issues, including abortion rights. At the same time, Locke said Ferguson said he will need to defend criticism that he's been soft on crime.
Reichert, a former U.S. representative and King County sheriff, served with the King County Sheriff's Office for 33 years before being elected to Washington's 8th Congressional District in 2004. He left Congress in 2019.
After initial results were released Aug. 6, Reichert focused on the need for change, highlighting public safety. He even made a reference to the superhero Batman, calling Seattle "Gotham City." He said he's spent time in the city's downtown core and believes that while homelessness has to be a focus of any campaign, there also needs to be a focus on criminal activity.
Reicher was not endorsed by the state GOP. That endorsement went to Republican candidate Semi Bird - Bird had 9% of the vote following an initial ballot count on Aug. 6. Reichert said his campaign has focused on Ferguson and anticipated the two of them moving onto the general election.
Also on the list are Democrat Sen. Mark Mullet and Republican Semi Bird, a former Richland School Board member who was endorsed by the GOP.
Whoever is elected in November will replace current Gov. Jay Inslee. Inslee decided not to run for a fourth term after being the second governor in Washington state history to be elected for three consecutive terms.
The governor is elected to a four-year term and is the chief executive officer, making appointments for state positions, including state agency directors. The governor also has the power to sign or veto legislation and submit budget recommendations and reports to the Legislature.