Republican Raul Garcia joins growing list of Washington governor candidates

SEATTLE — Dr. Raul Garcia, a Yakima emergency room physician, announced his campaign to run for Washington governor again in 2024.

Garcia, a Republican who finished fifth with 5.4% of the vote in the 2020 primary, launched his bid for governor at Kerry Park in Seattle on Friday.

Through a career in medicine, leadership in national boards and professional organizations, success as an entrepreneur and in the front lines of COVID, I am here to bring health to the state of Washington," said Garcia, who noted he fled from Cuba when he was 11 years old. "I quickly learned that I appreciate and want to uphold the values and the freedom that the American dream represents. I am proud to be an immigrant.

The announcement came less than two weeks after Gov. Jay Inslee said he will not seek a fourth term.Inslee, 72, who is the longest-serving governor in office in the U.S., was first elected in 2012 and became only the second Washington governor elected to three consecutive terms. Washington does not have term limits. Inslee's 56.6% topped Republican candidate Loren Culp's 43.1% in the 2020 general election.

The filing period for candidates opens at 9 a.m. Monday and closes at 4 p.m. Friday, May 19.

Garcia joins Semi Bird and Laurel Khan as Republicans who have announced their candidacies, according to Ballotpedia.Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz announced her campaign on Wednesday, and fellow Democrat Bob Ferguson, the state's Attorney General, launched his exploratory campaign on May 2. Ambra Mason announced her campaign as part of the Constitution Party, according toBallotpedia.

On Friday, Garcia — who said he moved to Washington state 16 years ago after living in Havana, Madrid and New York City — said his goal is to "restore thesafety and the prosperity of Washington state families" by addressing what he called a "triple threat: mental health, drug addiction and housing."

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"We have a fantastic state," Garcia said. "It is unequaled and unmatched in its natural beauty. And it has always been a hub of thriving business and innovation. But I have to tell you, Washington, (in) the last few years we have lost our ways.

"It is not healthy for us, for our families, for our state to accept crime that infringes upon our life. It is not healthy to accept people dying in the streets of mental health and drug addiction. It is not healthy to see women and children homeless in the city of Seattle. Those unfortunately will be the first victims of ready predators. We have lost our ways. It is not healthy to let our educational outcomes slide. And it is certainly not healthy to have our highways — especially the I-5 corridor— look like a developing country.

"A healthy Washington will have a swift and true accountability for those who break the law. A healthy Washington will focus on drug rehabilitation. A healthy Washington will invest in accredited mental health facilities and in mental health workers. A healthy Washington will bring greater access to health care and health care professionals. A healthy Washington will bring parents and teachers and administrators together to restore K-12 education and have an equal emphasis on college and technical apprentice programs. We need effective and present leadership in our state to prosper."