The governor’s office has been keeping communications tight. Three state politics reporters discuss the unusual lack of access and its public impact.

Another surprising aspect of the first few months of the Ferguson administration was a lack of communication with the public, particularly through the press.

Gov. Bob Ferguson was slow to hold weekly press conferences during the first few months of the legislative session and slow to provide reporters with information about his whereabouts. He also sent a memo to state agencies requiring all public communication to go through the governor’s office before it is released.

In this episode, host Sara Bernard sits down with Cascade PBS reporter Laurel Demkovich, Washington State Standard reporter Jerry Cornfield and Axios reporter Melissa Santos to discuss the unusually limited access to the governor’s office so far, and why that matters.

Despite multiple requests, Governor Ferguson’s office did not grant us an interview for this series. Read more about Governor Ferguson from reporter Laurel Demkovich here.

--- Credits

Reporter: Laurel Demkovich

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard

Story editor: Ryan Famuliner

Executive producer: Sarah Menzies

Production Manager: Adam Brown

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Northwest Reports is made possible by listeners like you. If you would like to join the members who help us create this series, go to cascadepbs.org/nwreports. In addition to supporting our journalism, members receive great member benefits, including Cascade PBS Passport, with extended access to an on-demand library of local and PBS favorites.

What’s with all the criticism? Pollster Stuart Elway and state Sen. Jamie Pedersen think it could be the governor's centrism, which irks both sides.

Voters aren’t too happy with Gov. Bob Ferguson’s first few months as governor. A new Cascade PBS/Elway poll found that the governor has the lowest first-six-month job rating of any Washington governor in more than 30 years.

But it’s not just the governor who got a bad score from voters. The Legislature also got low marks, and the general mood of voters in our state is gloomy.

In this episode, host Sara Bernard and Cascade PBS state politics reporter Laurel Demkovich talk with pollster Stuart Elway about the results of his most recent poll and why voters may be unhappy with Ferguson right now.

Then, Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, talks about his relationship with Ferguson, whom he’s known for decades, and explains why he’s not surprised by Ferguson’s more moderate approach.

Despite multiple requests, Governor Ferguson’s office did not grant us an interview for this series. Read more about Governor Ferguson from reporter Laurel Demkovich here.

--- Credits

Reporter: Laurel Demkovich

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard

Story editor: Ryan Famuliner

Executive producer: Sarah Menzies

Production Manager: Adam Brown

---

Northwest Reports is made possible by listeners like you. If you would like to join the members who help us create this series, go to cascadepbs.org/nwreports. In addition to supporting our journalism, members receive great member benefits, including Cascade PBS Passport, with extended access to an on-demand library of local and PBS favorites.

At first, Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson appeared to cross the aisle. Lawmakers on the right were thrilled – until they weren’t.

Gov. Bob Ferguson’s inaugural address wasn’t what anyone expected from the new governor, and it set the tone for a challenging legislative session in which the new executive struggled to win over Democratic and Republican lawmakers, activists and voters.

The speech was a pleasant surprise to Republicans, who heard many of their own ideas reflected in the governor’s words. But by the end of the session, that enthusiasm faded as Ferguson approved hundreds of Democrat-backed laws, including the largest tax hike in state history.

In this episode, host Sara Bernard and Cascade PBS state politics reporter Laurel Demkovich sit down with Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, to talk about his optimism for the new governor — and how his hopes were dashed.

Despite multiple requests, Governor Ferguson’s office did not grant us an interview for this series. Read more about Governor Ferguson from reporter Laurel Demkovich here.

--- Credits

Reporter: Laurel Demkovich

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard

Story editor: Ryan Famuliner

Executive producer: Sarah Menzies

Production Manager: Adam Brown

---

Northwest Reports is made possible by listeners like you. If you would like to join the members who help us create this series, go to cascadepbs.org/nwreports. In addition to supporting our journalism, members receive great member benefits, including Cascade PBS Passport, with extended access to an on-demand library of local and PBS favorites.