Based on data from the 2020 census, most Washingtonians were not alive the last time a Republican resided in the governor’s mansion.
Touting his record in law enforcement and an unblemished election record in King County, Dave Reichert said Tuesday that his experience qualifies him to break the Democrats’ 40-year winning streak.
“I found out when I went to Congress that being a hostage commander came in very handy,” Reichert said. “But I also found out that being a SWAT commander came in even more handy because you’ve got to know when to kick the door in. And you know what? It’s time to kick the governor’s door in.”
A fundraiser at Jester Auto Museum and Event Center Monday attracted roughly 300 attendees, including several candidates for public office, to hear from the man they believe can break the Democrats’ four-decade stranglehold on the governor’s mansion. The event was hosted by the Conservative Coalition of Lewis County.
The former sheriff of King County, Reichert represented Washington’s Eighth Congressional District in Congress from 2005 to 2019.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment,” said podcaster Brandi Kruse, who introduced Reichert. “There will not be another moment like this, at least not in our lifetimes.”
While the state party convention isn’t until next month, and the gubernatorial primary election is more than four months away, Reichert’s focus was solely on the Democratic frontrunner.
“Did you see (Attorney General) Bob Ferguson came out with his law enforcement plan the other day?” Reichert said. “Here’s my law enforcement plan, it’s pretty simple: give the cops the ability to enforce the damn law.”
To do so, Reichert said cops should face a higher standard for potential criminal charges in cases of use of force. Criminal justice is among the priorities of the campaign, Reichert said, as he repeatedly referenced his support for law enforcement.
It’s a pitch that’s personal for Reichert.
Upon arriving on the scene of a domestic call early in his career, Reichert observed a man holding a knife to his wife’s throat. The man, according to Reichert, planned to kill his wife and the first police officer who arrived.
While his partners distracted the man, Reichert snuck into the house through a side entrance and slowly approached before engaging the man in a scuffle, a fight that resulted in multiple cuts to Reichert’s throat.
“Part of the reason I wanted to tell you this is, number one, we never give up. We never quit,” Reichert said. “And number two, we have to back our cops in this state. One of the reasons I got back into this race is because our cops need backup.”
The sheriff during the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization protests, otherwise known as the Battle of Seattle, Reichert said anti-police sentiments that festered then continue to exist today.
“It started back then. It just slowly progressed and evolved to where we are today,” Reichert said, referencing protestors who temporarily blocked Interstate 5 in Seattle in January. “When I’m the governor, when we’re the governor, we’re going to direct the police chief to tell those state troopers to clear that freeway.”
The second tenant of his campaign, Reichert said, is homelessness, an issue he said ultimately stems from substance abuse.
“We’ve got to start to address those issues,” Reichert said.
As governor, Reichert said he also wants to address the state’s tax system, referencing failed legislation in the 2024 legislative session that would have raised the cap on tax increases from 1% to 3% and the state’s Climate Commitment Act.
“We have an inefficient, ineffective, deceptive government,” Reichert said.
As governor, Reichert said education would also be a priority, though he stressed: “Your children are your children.” In the speech, Reichert called for more charter schools.
“We’ve got to get back to teaching the basics,” Reichert said. “So that our children can be productive members of our community.”
Reichert’s visit comes roughly a month after the Lewis County Republican Convention, where Misipati “Semi” Bird won the unofficial straw poll of attendees with 63 votes, compared to the 28 votes Dave Reichert received. Three attendees were undecided on who they preferred for governor.
According to polling from the Northwest Progressive Institute, Ferguson leads a four-way race between Reichert, Bird and Democratic state Sen. Mark Mullet. In a two-way race between Ferguson and Reichert, the poll shows a 4% advantage for Ferguson.
“This election is not just going to be historic for the state of Washington, this election will be historic across this country,” Reichert said. “We are the longest-running state without a Republican governor in this country, almost 40 years, almost 40 years. And we can change that.”
