SEATTLE — Noah Purcell, who has served as the state’s solicitor general under Attorney General Bob Ferguson for six years, may be gunning for his boss's job.
Purcell announced on Thursday the formation of an exploratory committee to run for attorney general in the 2020 election, but said he would not challenge his boss should Ferguson run for another term.
“Bob Ferguson has been an outstanding Attorney General,” Purcell said in a news release. “I am announcing an exploratory committee for Attorney General in the event that this office is open next year because I want to build on the great work we have done.”
Ferguson and Purcell have challenged more than a dozen Trump administration proposals, including the first travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries and the administration’s repeal of DACA.
Purcell was appointed by Ferguson to the position of solicitor general in 2013 and has argued cases on behalf of the Washington state in the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington State Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Washington Court of Appeals, and trial courts around Washington, according to the release.
He also served in the Department of Homeland Security Office of General Counsel during the Obama administration, and was a law clerk to Justice David Souter of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Purcell graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and a law degree magna cum laude at Harvard, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
He now lives on Beacon Hill in Seattle with his wife and three children.
“I’m looking forward to connecting with people all across this great state to share my vision for the Attorney General’s Office, hear their concerns, and earn their votes. If I’m elected Attorney General, I’m going to work tirelessly as the people’s lawyer fighting for everyone in our state," said Purcell.
Cox Media Group
