Washington’s next governor, Bob Ferguson, is very familiar with a Donald Trump Administration.
During his time as state attorney general, Ferguson sued the Trump administration more than 90 times.
He took the administration to task on everything from attempts to dismantle environmental protections to the travel ban imposed on people from Muslim-majority countries.
Jim Walsh is the Washington Republican Party Chair and a state representative from Aberdeen.
Speaking at an election watch party on Tuesday night, he said there's an opportunity now for the governor elect to demonstrate he can work across the political divide.
"You know, I think it will be a chance for Bob Ferguson to show he's a bigger man than he's been. And if he can't do that, then I think Donald Trump and the conservatives will show that we're the bigger men," Walsh said.
In his victory speech Tuesday, Ferguson told the crowd that he is prepared to defend peoples’ freedoms against a Trump administration. He also promised to advocate for all Washingtonians, no matter which political party they belong to.
Walsh said he would challenge his colleagues across the aisle to "stop the personal vitriol" targeting Trump.
A deeply 'blue' state executive
Washington’s outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee said Democrats in the state are in a strong position to hold their policy ground during the next Trump administration.
"So you can anticipated a lot of noise from him. But like the first term, we're going to have our difficulties with him but ultimately we've prevailed in the most basic functions," Inslee said.
That’s as Democrats appear poised to win every statewide elected office.
Inslee said the state has already put several protective policies in place on key issues like reproductive health care and climate change. Inslee said Ferguson and incoming attorney general Nick Brown will be a “great team” to defend the state against possible challenges from a Trump White House.
Ferguson and Brown are planning a joint meeting Thursday to discuss preparations for the second Trump term.
