Franz tries to limit Ferguson’s fundraising
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In a move that might tighten up the primary for governor next year, Commissioner of Public Lands Hillary Franz’s campaign is pushing for a campaign finance rule change that could significantly limit Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s ability to augment his already bulging political war chest.
Here’s why you should care about this: Assuming Gov. Jay Inslee doesn’t run again, this race effectively gets decided in the August primary next year because Washington’s electorate leans so heavily Democratic. (The Republican field figures to be particularly weak.)1
That makes Ferguson’s big lead in campaign cash – he’s got nearly $4 million in hand by the current rules – especially significant because the state Democratic Party likely wouldn’t play in a contested primary for an open office. Franz has less than $200K in hand as of the end of March.2
