Compiled by The Seattle Medium
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has taken a stand against what he describes as a deliberate attempt to confuse voters in the upcoming Governor’s race, orchestrated by elements within the Republican Party. This controversy erupted after two additional candidates, both named Bob Ferguson, entered the gubernatorial race as Democrats. These filings occurred shortly after Attorney General Ferguson announced his candidacy, raising suspicions due to at least one of the new entrants’ alleged previous affiliations with the Republican Party.
This maneuver came to light when Glen Morgan, the 2023 Washington State Republican party Volunteer of the Year, apparently admitted to both orchestrating this tactic and personally funding the $2,000 filing fees for these candidates. The campaigns were registered at the same UPS Store in Olympia, a detail that has not gone unnoticed by election officials and observers.
Addressing the media from Kerry Park in Seattle, Attorney General Ferguson, flanked by former King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, detailed the legal implications of Morgan’s actions. They pointed out that this strategy contravenes RCW 29A.84.320, a law established in 1943 and reinforced unanimously by the legislature in 2003. The law makes it a Class B Felony to file “a declaration of candidacy for any public office” under “a surname similar to one who has already filed for the same office, and whose political reputation is widely known, with intent to confuse and mislead the electors by capitalizing on the public reputation of the candidate who had previously filed.”
“In the final hours of filing week, anti-democracy Republicans orchestrated a cynical, deceptive attack on election integrity,” Attorney General Ferguson stated emphatically. “To be clear: I do not want these two individuals to be prosecuted so long as they do what is right and withdraw by today’s 5:00 pm deadline.”
The response from the Ferguson campaign included several proposed measures to alleviate voter confusion, such as requiring that all candidates use their full names, adding their occupations next to their names on the ballot, and grouping candidates with the same name together.
A joint statement from former King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg and former Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist supported Ferguson’s views: “Attempting to intentionally deceive voters by running multiple candidates with the same name as the leading candidate is a serious offense. This crime has been a felony in Washington for 80 years, see RCW 29A.84.320. We strongly encourage fraudulent candidates to withdraw from the race immediately.”
As the filing deadline approached, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs confirmed that two of the three Bob Fergusons had withdrawn from the race. The remaining Bob Ferguson, the state’s attorney general, will appear in position 11 among 28 candidates.
Under Washington’s top-two primary system, each voter will select from the full field of candidates listed on the ballot. Regardless of political affiliation, the top two vote-getters for each position will advance to the General Election on November 5.
Secretary Hobbs also addressed the broader context and historical precedents of similar issues.
“Instances of people filing for office with names similar to well-known officeholders go back nearly a century in Washington and other states,” says Hobbs. “That is nothing new. We know how to address such issues as elections officials.”
Hobbs emphasized the importance of integrity in the electoral process.
“Voters deserve good-faith candidates who are running on the strength of their ideas to make Washington a better place to live and work, not people who pay a filing fee just to manipulate elections,” he remarked. “Washington’s long history of free and fair elections must be protected and preserved in every year and campaign cycle.”
