Did Richland’s Semi Bird survive WA primary for governor? First results are bruising
Semi Bird, the Tri-Cities Republican running for Washington governor, was knocked out of the race in Tuesday’s primary election.
Initial results posted on election night showed Bird trailing with just 9% of the vote, or nearly 95,000 ballots.
Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republican Dave Reichert were leading the other 26 challengers with 46% and 28%, respectively. Ferguson had received 460,000 votes to Reichert’s 282,000 as of Tuesday night.
Ferguson and Reichert will face off in the Nov. 5 general election. The Associated Press called the race for Ferguson and Reichert shortly after 8 p.m.
Under Washington’s top-two primary system, only the two candidates with the most votes can move on.
Nearly 60% of ballots across Washington state had been counted so far, but about 403,000 still need to be tallied.
Bird had not conceded the race as of Tuesday night. He’s also suggested in recent days that he does not plan on endorsing Reichert in the general election.
Bird would have been the first Black man to hold the office of Washington governor if elected, as well as the first Republican governor in 40 years.
Did Tri-City voters show up for Bird?
Early ballot returns show Bird was beat even on his home turf.
He got just 21% of the vote in Benton County and 23% in Franklin County. A little more than 30,500 ballots had been tallied so far in both counties.
Ferguson (28%) and Reichert (31%) both lead Bird in Benton County.
And while Bird has a slight lead on Ferguson (22%) in Franklin County, Reichert (32%) has a commanding lead in that county, too.
Benton County will update its ballot count 4 p.m. Wednesday, and Franklin County will have an updated count at 5 p.m.
Campaign so far
Bird, a behavioral scientist from Richland, has emerged as a populist playmaker and change agent in this year’s race for governor, rallying Washington’s devoted MAGA base behind his cause in early fashion.
He jumped in the race in November 2022, announcing his first statewide run from the Washington State Capitol Rotunda, and was among the first candidates to declare.
Despite calls to drop out early on from high-ranking Washington Republicans, with Reichert’s candidacy imminent, Bird continued campaigning at dozens of events spanning the Cascade Mountains.
After Richland voters resoundingly recalled Bird from his school board seat — the only elected office he’s ever held — in August 2023 over a questionable COVID mask vote, he doubled down on his campaign for governor by asserting he did nothing wrong and asked for donations.
Bird also brushed off various controversies from his background that came to light throughout his time campaigning, including allegations of stolen valor from his time in the military, a misdemeanor conviction for lying on a credit application, and an arrest over a missing law enforcement-issued revolver.
Despite earning the state party’s endorsement in April at a raucous Washington State Republican Party convention, Bird’s campaign failed to gain any momentum in the polls or with financial donors.
Several professional political polls conducted since the beginning of the year had placed Bird between 7 and 11%, with Ferguson and Reichert coming in much higher. While the Richland Republican had a modest cash honeymoon early on, contributions have slowed.
Ferguson and Reichert have hauled in big money from donors the past couple weeks, both with around $300,000. Comparatively, Bird has raised only a tenth of that — about $30,000 — with just $20,800 cash on hand reported as of July 29.
Ferguson is Washington’s 18th attorney general, having served since 2013, and previously served on the King County Council. His work as the state’s chief law enforcement official took center stage in 2017, when Ferguson led a coalition to successfully block the Trump Administration’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.
Reichert served seven terms as U.S. representative for Washington’s swing 8th Congressional District and is the former King County sheriff. He worked in law enforcement for three decades and is renowned for his work to track down and arrest the Green River Killer in 2001.
Democrat Mark Mullet is the state senator from Issaquah running as a moderate alternative to Ferguson in the governor’s race. So far, he has 6% of the vote, or about 59,000 ballots.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 9:35 PM.
