Former King County Sheriff Dave Reichert announces campaign for Washington governor

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Former King County Sheriff and U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert officially announced his 2024 campaign for Washington governor on Friday.

Reichert’s name first came up last week, when he filed as a candidate with the state. At the time, he hadn’t made a formal announcement.

In his Friday unveiling, he spoke of leading a government that is “open and responsive, not pitting one region against another, one generation against another, one family against another.”

He previously served as King County sheriff from 1997 to 2004, before moving to Congress between 2005 and 2019. As sheriff, he became known for his role in bringing the Green River Killer Gary Ridgway to justice.

Reichert joins an already-expansive field of candidates with incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee not running for reelection. Other Republicans include Semi Bird and Laurel Khan.

Dr. Raul Garcia had also previously registered to run, but scuttled his gubernatorial campaign shortly after Reichert’s announcement. He instead will pivot to a run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Maria Cantwell.

Candidates registered to run as Democrats include Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Public Lands Commissioner Hillary Franz, and State Senator Mark Mullet.

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