SEATTLE — After a weekend of controversy, there will be just one Bob Ferguson appearing on Washington’s August primary ballot.
Two other Bob Fergusons, who filed late Friday, have both withdrawn their names for consideration. That leaves the state’s current attorney general as the only Bob Ferguson on the ballot in the race to be Washington's governor.
On Monday morning, Ferguson had some hard words for the other two candidates sharing his name.
"I want to be very clear; this is not an attack on me. It's an attack on our election system. Attack on our democracy,” Bob Ferguson said during a news conference.
One Ferguson who filed on Friday to run for governor is from Yakima, and the other Ferguson is from Graham.
Ferguson said both of the other Bob Fergusons had the same campaign manager, a man named Glen Morgan. Ferguson's campaign calls Glen Morgan a far-right activist.
"Their goal is to mislead voters and split my supporters three ways to depress my vote totals and keep me from moving into the top two in the general election,” said Ferguson.
Washington Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert, a former congressman and King County Sheriff, said he condemns the action.
"It's a move that confuses voters and I don't want to win that way so I was disappointed to see those other two names added," said Reichert.
Semi Bird, another Republican gubernatorial candidate, said it's Attorney General Ferguson who is responsible for undermining democracy.
"I find Bob Ferguson's whining about the '3 Bobs' to be completely disingenuous when he has presided over the consistent decline of our public safety system and has personally gone out of his way to infringe upon the constitutional rights of Washington state citizens on a myriad of topics," Bird said in a statement. "Bob Ferguson is directly responsible for 'undermining democracy' in Washington state and will be held accountable via the vote of citizens who are fed up with career politicians and seek positive change and common sense governance."
The top two candidates with the most votes in the August primary will advance to the November general election ballot. Jim Walsh, the chairman of the state's Republican Party, calls it a flawed system.
"I am encouraged to see the current attorney general so worked up about a class B felony. For ten years, he has been ignoring class B felonies in the state of Washington,” Walsh added.
Former King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said that he suspects the other Bob Fergusons "weren't told that this little prank was a Class B felony that could land them in prison."
It is a felony to declare as a candidate for public office under the name of a fictitious person, a false name, or in using the name of an incumbent or candidate who has already filed “with intent to confuse and mislead” the voting public, according to a statement released on Monday by the Office of the Secretary of State.
“Voters deserve good-faith candidates who are running on the strength of their ideas to make Washington a better place to live and work, not people who pay a filing fee just to manipulate elections,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “Washington’s long history of free and fair elections must be protected and preserved in every year and campaign cycle.”
KING 5 reached out to Morgan, and the two other Bob Fergusons on Monday, but did not immediately receive a response.
The Bob Ferguson from Graham posted a statement to his campaign website, saying, "It is with a heavy heart, and under duress, that I am withdrawing from the Governor’s race."
"For 20 years, I wore the uniform of the U.S. Army and defended this great nation. I am, and will always be, grateful for the opportunity to serve and work alongside great many Americans that also wanted to protect this country," said Bob Ferguson of Graham in a statement.
He said since his candidacy was announced he's faced harassment and the threat of legal action unless he withdrew.
"The threats made to my family and I, along with the shady tactics used to deliver messages, do not frighten or intimidate me. It is unfair to my family, friends, and supporters to deal with bullish behavior by someone that is too afraid to stand toe-to-toe with me.
"For that reason, I rescind my candidacy," the statement from the Graham Bob Ferguson read, in part.
The general election is Nov. 5.