Editor’s note: Yes, dear readers. This is an editorial about the 2024 gubernatorial election. Too soon? Maybe, but big decisions are being made now. Bear with us as we make a little mischief. And play along if you would like.
It’s that time of year when people gather their thoughts and family around them and consider what the future may bring.
For a subspecies — homo sapiens politicus — these musings often turn to running for public office. The Seattle Times editorial board has one bit of advice for those considering throwing their hat into the ring of the 2024 Washington governor’s race: Go for it.
Washington hasn’t seen a spirited gubernatorial contest since Gov. Jay Inslee beat Republican Rob McKenna in 2012. It hasn’t had the benefit of a good intraparty matchup since Democrat Ron Sims took on fellow Democrat Christine Gregoire in 2004.
As Inslee launched a presidential bid during his second term in 2019, conventional wisdom had a triumvirate of wannabe’s lining up on the Democratic side: State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz and King County Executive Dow Constantine.
Inslee may yet decide to run for an unprecedented fourth term. Whatever his future, other Democratic candidates shouldn’t defer to his incumbency. In America, we have elections, not coronations. It’s not disrespectful to engage in honest debate and present voters with legitimate choices.
And Republicans, how about putting forth candidates with a bit more gravitas and experience than Loren Culp? The former police chief of Republic took on Inslee in 2020, decidedly lost, and then complained about it until he faced legal fees for wasting everyone’s time. The GOP can do better. Please!
To prime the pump a bit, the editorial board came up with a list of possible gubernatorial candidates we’d like to see:
- Rep. Suzan DelBene from the 1st Congressional District, which includes parts of King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. The Democrat once served as director of the Washington State Department of Revenue.
- Mayor Frank Kuntz of Wenatchee. A Republican known for his ability to work across party lines to serve constituents, he restored Wenatchee’s financial footing.
- Chairman Leonard Forsman of the Suquamish Tribe, political affiliation unknown. A University of Washington regent, he has been involved in economic development and cultural preservation initiatives.
- U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who represents Southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District but lost reelection in 2022. A Republican, she was ranked the 15th most bipartisan member of the U.S. House by Georgetown University and the Lugar Center. And she took on former President Donald Trump — unabashedly and fearlessly.
- Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier. He served with distinction as a Republican member of the state House and Senate, as well as on the Puyallup School Board.
- U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer from the 6th Congressional District. A pragmatic Democrat, he served in the state House and Senate before being elected to Congress, where he is a member of the Bipartisan Working Group.
- Former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, a Democrat who served under President Barack Obama and is now on the board of The Nature Conservancy. A past UW regent, the former banker and engineer also served as CEO of REI.
- Kim Wyman, the Republican former Washington secretary of state, now an elections official in the Biden administration.
Running for statewide office is a colossal endeavor. The effort needed to line up endorsements, consultants, fundraisers and all the rest can dissuade all but the most foolhardy of souls. The 2024 election may seem in the distant future, but decisions and endorsement inquiries are being made now. So is the arm-twisting and elbow-throwing to clear the field. Sadly, most of those machinations are going on behind the scenes where voters don’t see them.
Let there not be a preferred or anointed candidate. Hopefuls should not defer to party loyalty. Washingtonians deserve to hear from a packed field of potential governors offering their vision of our collective future. Let the election jostling begin.
