Bob Ferguson Defeats Matt Larkin in Washington State Attorney General Election Results

Posted

Taking President Donald Trump to court, over and over again, seems to have paid dividends at the ballot box for Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

The activist AG defeated his Republican opponent, Matt Larkin, with 59% of Tuesday night's vote count, to Larkin's 41%. While a few counties had not yet reported, and many ballots remained to be counted, Ferguson's lead was insurmountable.

"With the uncertain outcome of the presidential election, there's no time to celebrate," Ferguson said in a statement. "In a few minutes, I will meet with my legal team to move forward with defending our democracy and ensuring every legal vote counts across the United States. That's my priority right now."

Ferguson's office has filed 80 lawsuits against the president's administration, including challenges to proposed rollbacks of the Affordable Care Act and environmental protections, as well as efforts to slash the U.S. Postal Service ahead of the election. His office has won 35 of 36 cases that have been decided so far.

Larkin, a first-time candidate, had hoped voters would agree with him that Ferguson had focused too much on fighting Trump while neglecting issues such as crime, drug use, and violent clashes between protesters and police in Seattle.

Ferguson, though, also has won victories closer to home. He tripled the size of his office's consumer division, which has targeted major corporations for deceptive business practices. Last year, his office won a $9.1 million judgment against Comcast for signing people up for a service protection plan without their knowledge.



On the campaign trail, Ferguson pilloried Larkin's inexperience. Larkin, whose only prior paid experience in law enforcement comprises 67 days as a Pierce County deputy prosecuting attorney in 2010, works for his family's manufacturing business.

___

(c)2020 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.