On Friday, Washington GOP Chair Caleb Heimlich said that former Rep. Dave Reichert was considering challenging Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee next year. Reicher has not yet said anything about his interest, but a spokeswoman for his lobbying firm didn’t quite take his name out of contention when asked about this race. She instead emailed, “Dave is now focusing on his new job that will have a tremendous impact on saving lives in Central America working with countries to establish a missing persons database. It will likely not only save lives, but prevent children from being forced into sex trafficking.”
The Seattle Times’ Jim Brunner, citing unnamed GOP sources, also wrote that Reichert “broached the idea of running for governor a couple of weeks ago at a barbecue with longtime political associates. The talk intensified last week, but it remains unclear whether Reichert will take the plunge.”
Reichert represented a competitive seat in the Seattle suburbs from 2005 until he retired this January, and he could be capable of giving Inslee a strong challenge in this blue state. However, Reichert also has a long history of flirting with running for statewide office but never going through with it. In 2011, for example, Reichert expressed interest in running for governor or against Sen. Maria Cantwell, but he ended up seeking re-election to the House.
Things played out very much the same way four years later. In early 2015, Reichert declined to rule out a campaign against Democratic Rep. Patty Murray. That idea never went anywhere, but a few months later, there were reports that Reichert was “seriously” thinking about taking on Inslee. However, Reichert decided to run for what would turn out to be his last term in Congress. His calculations may change this cycle now that Reichert no longer has a House seat to give up, but the GOP may not want to get their hopes up given his history.
Meanwhile, real-estate developer Joshua Freed, a former mayor of the Seattle suburb of Bothell, recently filed papers for a possible GOP bid, though he says he’s still deciding. Freed lost close races for the state House in 2002 and 2004.
Want more great elections coverage like this? Sign up for our free daily newsletter, the Morning Digest.
