Washington’s new Democratic governor, Bob Ferguson, surprised and confused many people during his first eight months in office, from legislators to lobbyists, journalists to voters. Some saw him as more centrist than they’d expected; some anticipated more conversations with the press; some wanted him to do more (or less) to oppose the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, in the Cascade PBS/Elway poll this summer, Ferguson received the lowest first-six-months rating of any Washington governor in the poll’s 32-year history.
A new Northwest Reports series, Ferguson vs. Everyone, explores the ways that this bewilderment played out — and the expectations that could have contributed to it. Host Sara Bernard and Cascade PBS state politics reporter Laurel Demkovich — who also produced a written story on this topic — speak with lawmakers, a pollster and state government reporters about the unexpected moves of this new leader at the helm.
Despite multiple requests, Governor Ferguson’s office did not grant us an interview for this series.
