Garcia Drops Out of Washington Governor’s Race, Backs Reichert’s Campaign

(The Center Square) – Raul Garcia has dropped out of the race for Washington state governor and announced his run for the U.S. Senate.

In a Facebook post, Garcia, who was vying for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, wrote that he decided to drop out of the governor's race to support former Congressman Dave Reichert, who recently announced he is running for governor.

“I am tremendously honored by the support I've received in my race for Governor,” he wrote in the Facebook post. “Today, I've decided to join forces in a united team for Washington with Congressman Dave Reichert. I will be challenging Maria Cantwell in the upcoming 2024 election. We need a senator for Washington who truly listens and offers solutions instead of politics to the office. Together we can restore health, effective leadership, and unity to Washington.”

A former professor and assistant dean at Pacific Northwest University of Health and Sciences, Garcia ran for governor in the 2020 election, garnering 135,045 votes, 5.4% of the total.

Cantwell, a Democrat, has served in her Senate seat since 2001.

Reichert previously served as Washington’s U.S. representative from the 8th Congressional District until 2017. That seat is currently held by Rep. Kim Shriver. Before that, Reichert served as King County Sheriff and is perhaps best known for his role in helping to capture Gary Ridgway, the "Green River Killer."

Others currently running for governor include State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, and Richland School Board member Semi Bird.