(The Center Square) – Initial primary election results show Republican Pete Serrano leading by a small margin to replace departing Bob Ferguson as Washington state’s next attorney general.
As of Tuesday night, Serrano had 41.9% of the vote, with Democrat Nick Brown trailing behind with 35.9% of total, followed by Democrat state Sen. Manka Dhingra, who garnered 22.2% of the vote, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Washington has a nonpartisan primary system in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two finishers in the race advance to the general election regardless of party.
Should these results hold, Brown and Serrano are set to advance to the general election this November.
If Serrano wins the general election, he would be the first Republican attorney general in the state since Rob McKenna, who held the role until 2013.
Serrano is the current mayor of Pasco. He previously said he intends to address criminal activity, claiming it is at “an all-time high” in the state.
Serrano also said he will work to ensure criminals are prosecuted, drug dealers are incarcerated, and police officers across the state are fully supported.
Brown is a former U.S. attorney and counsel to Gov. Jay Inslee. He was endorsed by the Seattle Times, Seattle Port Commissioner Sam Cho, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, and Inslee himself, among other state officials.
Brown signaled his interest in reimagining the state’s criminal legal system while improving the relationship between police and communities.
Dhingra has her own share of notable endorsements including Democrat Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, state Sen. Noel Frame of Seattle and more.
Dhingra serves as the chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee and has been a prominent figure in work to address public safety issues at the state level.
She initially blocked legislation giving police more discretion in engaging in high-speed chases of suspects and ultimately helped pass a bill that was considered watered down by some.
Dhingra was also a major player in the state’s efforts to pass a drug possession law after they failed to do so during the 105-day regular session last year. She was a prominent figure in attempting to craft compromise legislation at the session’s end that was rejected by the House of Representatives.
In Dhingra’s own King County where she represents cities including Redmond and Kirkland, she is trailing in third with 27% of collected votes.
While both Brown and Dhingra support stronger gun laws, Serrano seeks firearm regulations that give citizens more ability to protect themselves amid concerns of public safety.
The next state attorney general will replace Ferguson, who served in the position for more than 10 years.
Since Ferguson was first elected to the attorney general role in 2012, his accomplishments include blocking then-President Donald Trump’s first executive order barring travel from seven Muslim-majority nations, winning a lawsuit against the Consumer Brands Association for intentionally violating Washington state campaign finance laws, and proposing legislation to block 3D-printed gun files to be released on the internet, which was granted.
According to Public Disclosure reports, Brown has received $1.5 million in financial contributions for his campaign, Dhingra has collected $1.3 million, and Serrano has raised $225,431.
The position carries a four-year term with an annual salary of $187,543.
