Bob Ferguson is running for Governor of Washington.

Previously, Ferguson worked as Attorney General of Washington suing small-business owners, withholding evidence, waging lawfare, and extorting corporations for campaign donations.

Urged Legislators to Decriminalize Certain Possession

In 2021, following a state supreme court decision deeming Washington State's felony drug possession law unconstitutional, Attorney General Bob Ferguson urged legislators to move forward with drug decriminalization proposals, instead of reinstating criminal penalties for "non-commercial amounts."

On April 20, 2021, an article from KUOW reported, “Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is urging legislators to move forward with drug decriminalization proposals rather than reinstating criminal penalties for drug use.

In an interview Monday, Ferguson said legislators should seize the opportunity presented by the state supreme court’s ‘Blake’ decision. In February, the court found Washington’s felony drug possession law unconstitutional.

I’m hoping the next step is for Washington to change course and move away from a war on drugs that has utterly failed and try a new approach,” he said. “And that new approach is to eliminate the criminal penalties associated with possessing a non-commercial amount of drugs. And I’m hopeful that the state Legislature will take that bold but necessary step.”

On April 20, 2021, a press release from the Attorney General’s Office detailed, “This is Washington’s moment to overhaul a broken system and end the failed war on drugs. Criminalizing simple drug possession exacerbates racial disparities. Moreover, it continues our failed criminal justice response to a public health challenge. It’s time for a new approach. Public health problems require public health solutions — including making significant new investments in treatment that expand our current system. The Legislature now has a unique opportunity to reject criminal penalties for noncommercial drug possession. Let’s focus our resources on treatment and protecting the public from serious and violent crime.”

Ferguson argued that decriminalization would help reduce court caseloads, with these freed funds instead being used for substance use recovery.

On April 20, 2021, an article from KUOW reported, “Ferguson said decriminalization should result in a reduced caseload so that court funding could be redirected toward substance use recovery."

“Ferguson may be the first statewide attorney general in the country to advocate for decriminalization, the approach in effect in Portugal and, last November, enacted by voters in Oregon.”

AGO and Ballot Title to Decriminalize

On March 24, 2022, the Attorney General’s Office supplied the ballot title for Initiative 1922, reading the following: “This measure would fund substance use disorder prevention, outreach, recovery, training, study, and public education; decriminalize drug possession but allow seizure and forfeiture; authorize vacation of certain drug-related convictions; and amend related laws.”

As further detailed in the above Ballot Title from the Attorney General’s Office, “This measure would decriminalize possession of controlled substances, legend drugs, or counterfeit drugs, while authorizing seizure and forfeiture; direct some marijuana taxes and other public funding to treatment and recovery services, law enforcement training, research, advisory committees, and public education; require law enforcement to provide information about outreach and engagement services; prescribe mechanisms for vacating certain drug-related convictions; preempt local laws; assign responsibility for private and public insurance of treatment services; and amend related laws.”



It was reported that, if approved, Initiative 1922 would decriminalize certain controlled substances, such as heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.

On June 30, 2022, an article from FOX 13 Seattle reported, “Initiative 1922 would have decriminalized possession of controlled substances like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, psychotropic drugs like mushrooms, painkillers without a prescription, and fentanyl, to name a few. It would have preempted local laws that would criminalize drug possession.”

On May 19, 2023, an article from the Associated Press reported, “Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office and the Department of Social and Health Services have been ordered to pay more than $122,000 in attorney’s fees for withholding evidence in a continuing lawsuit.

“King County Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan imposed the new costs in a ruling Friday, The Seattle Times reported. The amount is on top of an earlier $200,000 sanction. The judge also said the state may face additional sanctions.”

As further reported in the above Associated Press article from May 19, 2023, “In March, Ryan imposed the $200,000 sanction for what he called the state’s ‘egregious’ and ‘cavalier’ failure to turn over nearly 11,000 pages of records to attorneys suing over the alleged severe neglect of a developmentally disabled woman, Emily Tobin, at a family home in Kent. Paying the attorney’s fees to the plaintiff’s law firm of Hagens Berman was included in the March ruling but the amount hadn’t been determined.”

On May 22, 2023, an article from MyNorthwest reported, “The Attorney General’s office said in a statement they did not intentionally withhold the documents and found an additional 100,000 pages wrongfully withheld. Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Meyer said the state ‘deeply regrets the errors in discovery in this case and is working to rectify them.’ “The woman’s attorneys claim Ferguson’s office tried to prevent them from asking about records while moving to dismiss the suit.”

The judge of the case called the withholding of thousands of pages of records “egregious” and “cavalier”, citing it as “willful disregard” on the part of the Office of Attorney General.

On May 19, 2023, an article from the Associated Press reported, ““In March, Ryan imposed the $200,000 sanction for what he called the state’s ‘egregious’ and ‘cavalier’ failure to turn over nearly 11,000 pages of records to attorneys suing over the alleged severe neglect of a developmentally disabled woman, Emily Tobin, at a family home in Kent.”

On May 4, 2023, an article from US News and World Report detailed, “‘The discovery violations in this case are egregious, severe, without excuse and the result of willful disregard of discovery obligations by both DSHS’ and the attorney general’s office, [Judge Michael] Ryan wrote in his 12-page order.”

Among the records eventually retrieved and turned over the plaintiff’s attorneys were emails from DSHS employees laughing about reports of neglect against the Plaintiff, writing “LOL” in emails among each other.

On May 4, 2023, an article from US News and World Report detailed, “Among the records belatedly turned over to the plaintiff’s attorneys were emails in which a case manager with DSHS appeared to laugh at reports that the woman was being neglected at the home, writing ‘LOL’ in the emails, the Seattle Times reported.

“Last year, while the records were being withheld, the attorney general’s office sought to have the lawsuit dismissed — and attempted to prevent Hagens Berman from questioning DSHS about whether it had more records, the [Seattle] Times wrote.”

Ultimately, in June 2023, the Attorney General’s Office and DSHS reached a settlement with the defendant, for the amount of $3.125 million in taxpayer dollars.

On June 5, 2023, an article from The Olympian reported, “The Washington state Department of Social and Health Services and the state Attorney General’s Office have reached a settlement agreement for $3.125 million in a case involving a woman with developmental disabilities.

“According to Brionna Aho, communications director for the state AG’s office, the parties reached an agreed resolution in the case. The court must approve the settlement agreement before it becomes final.

“The settlement agreement will be paid out of the State Insurance Liability Account, which is funded by Washington taxpayers.” 

As a result of the accusations and subsequent settlement, the Office of Attorney General recognized the withholding to be “unacceptable” and announced an internal investigation would be conducted.

On June 5, 2023, an article from MyNorthwest reported, “The woman’s attorneys claim Ferguson’s office tried to prevent them from asking about records while moving to dismiss the suit.

“The Attorney General’s Office released a statement about the settlement, saying a full investigation will be conducted to determine what had gone wrong.

“‘AG Ferguson recognizes that the buck stops with him. Discovery sanctions are unacceptable. The issues that led to the sanctions highlight the need for better communication with our client. Additionally, one of the issues involved miscommunication between the lead attorney and the attorneys assigned to assist with the case while the lead was on leave. We are reviewing our discovery protocols to determine what changes are appropriate. AG Ferguson is overseeing a review. A personnel investigation is ongoing.’”

Bob Ferguson has made this same pledge against corporate funds in previous campaigns for Attorney General.

On July 30, 2020, an article from the Lynwood Times reported Bob Ferguson as stating the following: “As an independent leader I refuse campaign contributions from large corporations, and put the public interest above partisan politics, which is why I sued the Obama Administration when Hanford workers started getting dangerously ill due to exposure to harmful vapors at the Hanford nuclear plant.” 

History of Accepting Large Corporate Donations

Despite his pledges against campaign funds from large corporations, state campaign finance records show that Bob Ferguson has accepted at least $87,950 from such corporations in the past.

According to state campaign finance data, as managed by the Public Disclosure Commission, candidate Robert/Bob Ferguson has previously accepted the following large corporate contributions: 

On July 18, 2014, an article from Fox 61 reported, “Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson is accusing Living Essentials and Innovation Ventures, the makers on 5 Hour Energy, with misleading consumers with advertisements that claim doctors recommend 5-hour Energy. The suit alleges that the company implies that the product is safe for teenagers and claims that the product causes ‛no sugar crash’ when the companies’ own studies show it triggers a caffeine crash.”

On Oct. 29, 2014, an article from KIRO 7 News reported, “[Ferguson] acknowledges he asked ETC-Capital for a $1,000 campaign donation, not realizing, he says, that it's an investor in 5-Hour Energy, a company his office was investigating.”

As further reported in the above KIRO 7 News article, “‘I asked them for money the same way I asked a lot of folks for money,’ [Attorney General Bob] Ferguson told.”

The makers/marketers of 5 Hour Energy view this as a “ransom,” saying that Bob Ferguson personally placed a phone call to solicit a campaign contribution, before Washington entered a lawsuit against them.

On July 21, 2014, an article from the Oregonian reported, “Company founder Manoj Bhargava and his company, Living Essentials LLC, came back Monday with a few accusations of their own, alleging that two attorneys general in the Northwest were twisting their arms. Their claims make it sound as if the company were being extorted.

“‘The Attorney General of Washington, Bob Ferguson, called us two weeks ago to solicit a campaign contribution,’ according to a news release sent to news media by Living Essentials LLC, the products' makers.”

As further reported in the above Oregonian article from July 21, 2014, “Melissa Skabich, the communications director for 5-hour Energy, said the conversations between the company and the attorneys general came in different ways: ‘With respect to Washington, it was a cell phone call from the AG to one of the company's representatives. In Oregon, the request was back channeled through staff.’”

On Oct. 28, 2014, an article from the New York Times reported, “Company executives wrote those checks after the investigation into false claims and deceptive marketing, which initially involved 33 states, opened in January 2013. Requests started to come in for contributions, including a phone call this year directly from Mr. Ferguson of Washington State, whose staff was involved in the inquiry.

“In a statement after the company was sued by three states in July, the company strongly denied the allegations and compared being solicited for contributions to being pressured to pay ‘ransom.’ It asked, “Is it appropriate for an attorney general to ask for money from a company they plan to sue?’”

On July 21, 2014, an article from CSP Daily News reported, “‘The attorney general of Washington, Bob Ferguson, called us two weeks ago to solicit a campaign contribution. Now we’re being sued. This isn’t appropriate behavior,” 5-hour Energy said in a statement released to CSP Daily News today. ‘The attorney general of Oregon, Ellen Rosenblum, suggested that if we give them money, the lawsuit would go away. We said no, and the lawsuit followed.’

“‘Is the timing of these lawsuits a coincidence?’ the company asked in a press release. ‘Isn’t the attorney general supposed to protect us from real criminals? If the Attorney General is supposed to look after us, who is looking after the attorney general?’”

Bob Ferguson’s staff initially denied the allegations of soliciting campaign funds, but later confirmed that he had indeed made such a personal appeal.

On Oct. 28, 2014, an article from the New York Times reported, “A spokesman for Mr. Ferguson first called the allegation baseless. But after being shown a copy of an invitation to a fund-raising event that Mr. Ferguson held in May during a DAGA conference — where 5-Hour Energy was listed as a sponsor — his spokesman confirmed that Mr. Ferguson had made a personal appeal to the company.” 

Ferguson refunded the $1,000 contribution upon entering the lawsuit.

On Oct. 29, 2014, an article from KLCC Public Radio reported, “The [New York] Times investigation casts a wide net across the 50 states, but specifically calls out Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat. Ferguson has solicited campaign contributions from companies the Attorney General’s office has investigated -- like the makers of 5-hour ENERGY drink. Ferguson’s office later sued 5-hour ENERGY for ‘deceptive marketing.’

“Ferguson pointed out he then refunded the contribution.

“‘Clearly a donation of $1,000 from ETC Capital did not buy any favor from me with 5- Hour Energy and I think that’s really the test from this,’ he said.”

“Defund the Police” Contributions

Ferguson received Campaign Contributions from All Pro-“Defund” Members of Seattle City Council.

On Aug. 10, 2020, an article from the Seattle Times reported, “The City Council took votes Monday to rebalance Seattle’s battered 2020 budget and start reducing the size and scope of the Police Department. It also promised to make more dramatic changes to public safety services next year.

“Budget amendments passed by the council are intended to shrink the force by up to 100 officers through layoffs and attrition this year; dismantle a team that removes some homeless encampments; and cut the wages of Police Department command staff between September and December, among other actions.”

As further reported in the above Seattle Times article from Aug. 10, 2020, “But Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda described Monday’s amendments as first steps toward achieving the demands by many Black Lives Matter protesters that Seattle defund the Police Department by 50% to invest in community programs. Since May, large crowds have repeatedly taken to the streets and advocates have put pressure on the council to rethink public safety.” 

On Aug. 10, 2020, the following city councilmembers voted in favor of CB 119825: Maria Lorena Gonzalez, Lisa Herbold, Andrew, Tammy J. Lewis, Teresa Mosqueda, Alex Pedersen, and Dan Strauss.

Bob Ferguson has received campaign contributions from Seattle City Councilmember Maria Lorena Gonzalez, who voted in favor of defunding the police. She contributed a total of $339 between 2011 and 2012.

According to state campaign finance data, as managed by the Public Disclosure Commission, candidate Robert/Bob Ferguson has previously accepted the following contributions from Maria Lorena Gonzalez:

Bob Ferguson has received campaign contributions from Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who voted in favor of defunding the police. She contributed a total of $300 to Ferguson’s current gubernatorial campaign.

Bob Ferguson has previously received campaign contributions from Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis, who voted in favor of defunding the police. He contributed a total of $1,575 to Ferguson’s campaigns, including to his current gubernatorial campaign.

According to state campaign finance data, as managed by the Public Disclosure Commission, candidate Robert/Bob Ferguson has previously accepted the following contributions from Andrew Lewis:

Bob Ferguson has received campaign contributions from Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales, who voted in favor of defunding the police. She contributed $250 to Ferguson’s current gubernatorial campaigns.

According to state campaign finance data, as managed by the Public Disclosure Commission, candidate Robert/Bob Ferguson has previously accepted the following contributions from Tammy Morales:

Bob Ferguson has received campaign contributions from Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who voted in favor of defunding the police. She contributed a total of $1,025.00 to Ferguson’s campaigns, including to his current gubernatorial campaign.

According to state campaign finance data, as managed by the Public Disclosure Commission, candidate Robert/Bob Ferguson has previously accepted the following contributions from Teresa Mosqueda:

Bob Ferguson has received campaign contributions from Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersen, who voted in favor of defunding the police. The onetime contribution went to Ferguson’s 2020 re-election campaign for Attorney General.

According to state campaign finance data, as managed by the Public Disclosure Commission, candidate Robert/Bob Ferguson has previously accepted the following contributions from Alex Pedersen:

Bob Ferguson has received campaign contributions from Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss, who voted in favor of defunding the police. He contributed a total of $300 to Ferguson’s current gubernatorial campaign.

According to state campaign finance data, as managed by the Public Disclosure Commission, candidate Robert/Bob Ferguson has previously accepted the following contributions from Daniel A. Strauss:

Ferguson's Office Advised Utilities Commission to Conceal Rate Increases on Customers’ Bill 

In 2023, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a rate increase proposal of 3.25% from Puget Sound Energy.

On Aug. 25, 2023, an article from the Center Square Washington reported, “Earlier this month, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a request by Puget Sound Energy to increase its natural gas rates to cover the costs of the state’s capand-trade program under the Climate Commitment Act.”

As further reported in the above Center Square Washington article from Aug. 25, 2023, “In its request, PSE told the UTC it needed a 3.25% increase in overall bills for all natural gas customers to generate $16.8 million required to cover their losses, which would be done under a State Carbon Reduction Charge.” 

As stipulated by the UTC, the reason for the increased costs could not be disclosed to customers. This was advised directly by the Attorney General’s Office.

On Aug. 24, 2023, an article from KING NBC 5 reported, “Over the next few months, Puget Sound Energy customers may notice their natural gas bill will be a little higher.

“But according to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, those customers don’t need to be told why they’re paying more.

“‘The Utilities Commission approved the rate hike, but made it illegal for Puget Sound Energy to list that on people’s bills,’ said Todd Myers of the conservative think tank Washington Policy Center. ‘So people will see their rates go up, but they won’t know why, and in fact, the Utilities Commission has prohibited Puget Sound Energy from telling its customers.’”

On Aug. 25, 2023, an article from the Center Square Washington reported, “However, the approval also carried with it a stipulation that the utility provider could not show on customers' bills the reason for the rate increase, a decision that was recommended by the Washington Attorney General’s Office.”

As further reported in the above Center Square Washington article from Aug. 25, 2023, “However, AGO Assistant Attorney General Nina Suetake wrote in a July 3 letter to the UTC that they were “concerned with PSE’s proposal to itemize the State Carbon Reduction Charge and State Carbon Reduction Credit on customer bills. If all program specific charges were included as line items, customer bills would quickly become incomprehensible. We believe the issue of whether to itemize these charges and credits on bills requires more discussion in upcoming workshops to ensure that the itemization would add to customer understanding and experience, rather than unnecessarily complicate utility bills.”

“In its final decision, the UTC sided with Suetake. While acknowledging ‘that the tariff revisions are necessary to allow the Company to begin to recover the costs of implementing the CCA,’ the three-member board also wrote that PSE ‘should not include the proposed ‘carbon reduction charge’ as a line item on customer bills. Public Counsel [Suetake] correctly observes that including all program charges on customer bills would quickly result in lengthy and confusing bills. Additionally, only those charges or credits that inure to the benefit of customers should be included as line items on customer bills.’

“The decision stipulated that ‘only those charges or credits that inure to the benefit of customers should be included as line items on customer bills.’”