Issues

Bob formed the Wing Luke Civil Rights Division in the Washington Attorney General’s Office  – and it’s now the strongest civil rights division in the country fighting discrimination. He personally argued the Arlene’s Flowers case before the Washington State Supreme Court after a flower shop owner refused to sell flowers to a same-sex couple for their wedding.

Bob made consumer protection a cornerstone of the Attorney General’s Office – holding accountable powerful interests that don’t play by the rules. Bob quadrupled the size of the Consumer Protection Division in the Attorney General’s Office – at no cost to taxpayers!

As an avid backpacker and climber, Bob has a strong commitment to the protection of our state’s beautiful and unique environment. As Attorney General, Bob created the Environmental Protection Division. He won more than a dozen convictions for crimes against the environment.

Bob passed legislation requiring all elected leaders in Washington state receive open government training. Bob passed legislation increasing the penalty for violating Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act.

Bob comes from a family of veterans. Bob’s late father, Murray Ferguson, was a veteran, both his grandfathers were veterans, and many of his uncles served in World War II. Bob works to honor the service and sacrifice of our servicemembers and veterans. 

Bob partners with AARP to provide fraud fighting tips for seniors across Washington state. Bob strengthened our state laws around financial exploitation of vulnerable adults and identity theft.

He kept nearly 100 of the most violent sex predators out of our communities. He is using innovative new tools to help law enforcement solve cold case homicides and sexual assaults. He is working to end Washington’s shameful backlog of rape kits, because Bob believes these victims of sexual assault deserve justice.

Bob puts the public interest above partisan politics. Bob twice sued the Obama Administration over Hanford. He took the Biden Administration to court to increase access to abortion medication. He has filed legal challenges against both Democratic and Republican county party organizations. He refuses campaign contributions from large corporations.

Bob successfully defended the Affordable Care Act from the legal attack from the Trump Administration and Republican attorneys general. His Supreme Court victory preserved health care for 825,000 Washingtonians, including those with preexisting conditions. It also prevented painful increases in prescription drug costs for Washington seniors.

Bob Ferguson partners with parents, educators, and school administrators to improve student safety. He built a coalition that included the Washington PTA and Washington Education Association to increase the tobacco and vape sale age to 21. Working with youth and student groups, Bob led the effort to combat mass shootings by banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Bob is the most aggressive attorney general in the country when it comes to holding those who fueled the opioid epidemic accountable. He rejected national settlements and took the Sackler family and opioid distributors to court. As a result, he won $1.1 billion and counting that will go towards increased treatment in Washington and additional first responders to improve community safety.

Bob partners with Washington tribes to protect salmon and combat climate change, defend the Indian Child Welfare Act, protect tribal sovereignty from legal attacks waged by Republican attorneys general, defend self-determination, combat the opioid epidemic, and maintain precious tribal records at the National Archives.

Standing up for the rule of law and American values, Bob successfully blocked – and eventually defeated – President Trump’s original travel ban. The Trump Administration ultimately decided not to appeal the first travel ban to the Supreme Court, and agreed to reimburse Washington for its legal fees. Bob believes everyone is accountable to the law – including the President of the United States.