SEATTLE — The new year will usher in a new political landscape nationally and in Washington. 

As Bob Ferguson transitions from the Attorney General’s office into the Governor’s mansion, he’s facing a multi-billion-dollar deficit, talk of new taxes, a crisis in education, and the next Trump administration. 

He’s also bringing something with him, part of his collection of artifacts. 

He went on the record with KING 5's Joyce Taylor, sharing what he anticipates in the months ahead and his passion that blends politics with state history. 

Taylor: What does it mean to you to become part of Washington history? 

Ferguson: I don't really think of it that way. You sort of realize in collecting these things of, hey, the evolution over time from as a territory to becoming a state, in the different issues the state has faced and how different governors grappled with those.  

Taylor: You're coming into office just as the Trump administration is going back to the White House. You have a long history with the former Trump administration. What are you anticipating?  

Ferguson: We've spent time preparing as an attorney general now as an office for the new administration based on what they put on paper with Project 2025 to make sure if he acts on those things in a way that we think is unconstitutional and exceeds his authority that harms Washingtonians. Well, then, of course, it's our duty really, to act. 

Taylor: We've heard a lot of talk about mass deportation, even discussions around whether or not the new administration would use the National Guard. 

Ferguson: We are spending a fair amount of time researching what powers a president has, has to essentially federalize the National Guard, and when the president does not have that authority. 

Taylor: You are the governor of a blue state in a country that's becoming more red than blue.  

Ferguson: You know, I don't really think of Washington as a blue state, right? I'm mindful that while I won a good victory, 44% of the people voted for Dave Reichert. You know, it's not a small number, right? My job is to be a good governor for all Washingtonians. That's important. That's my focus. 

Taylor: Which brings us to the budget. As you know, I'm curious how you're going to tackle the budget when we're just learning that the state, over the next four years, is going to be facing a $14 billion deficit. How will you tackle that?  

Ferguson: I think it's important to make sure that when you have a budget crisis, that as a state, we are being as lean and efficient as possible. The reason why the King County Council now has nine council members, not 13, is I was the only Democrat to vote with the Republicans to reduce the size of the number of elected officials. 

Taylor: The Senate Majority Leader, the Speaker of the House, told our Drew Mikkelsen that they're looking at potentially new taxes, maybe a wealth tax or property tax.  

Ferguson: I think before anyone has a conversation about that, I think it's important that we as elected officials communicate clearly to the people that we're taking a tough internal look at our budget, right? And what savings can we achieve there?  

Taylor: When you look at the recent election, the rejection of the initiatives that would have rolled back taxes, the leadership in Olympia says it suggests that people are okay with taxes. Do you agree with that?  

Ferguson: I think what it shows is that if elected officials are thoughtful about what revenue they're proposing, and if it's not adversely impacting hard-working middle-class Washingtonians, then the overwhelming majority of Washingtonians are open to that. 

Taylor: The current funding model for public education has been described as unequal and completely outdated. Will that be something that you address even look at reforming?  

Ferguson: I'm concerned about many things related to education, including the fact that the percentage of our budget that goes to K through 12, education has, as you know, gone down in recent years. That's the wrong direction. The needs we have in our education system have only gone up, including special education. The number of special needs kids we have in our system has gone up. The mental health issues we have in classrooms all across the state, those needs have gone up. So we need a greater investment. So the way we invest, how we invest, the percentage we invest, all those need to be on the table. 

Taylor: A lot of people may not know that when you're not working or involved with family matters, you're collecting.

Ferguson: You know how hobbies are, starts small, and next thing you know, taken over on a certain level, and I'm guilty of that for sure.  

Ferguson's growing collection

Taylor: What a collection!

Ferguson: One-tenth of 1% of the collection is what you're looking at. I think it is probably, I don't think I'm exaggerating much.  

Taylor: What did it start with?

Ferguson: When I  got elected Attorney General. I was super interested in knowing about the people who served as Attorney General before me. It's amazing how much I could find, and I learned a ton about the office. And in the process of doing that, of course, it started. And so one thing led to another, and so now look, there's binders, every member of Congress, every US, Senator, territorial legislators.

I love this picture now, especially in my new job. So this is Governor Albert Mead, so he would have served, I think, around the 19-teens, if I recall correctly. And that's the old governor's office.

Taylor: Tell us a little bit about your collection. 

Ferguson: Political memorabilia, autographs, buttons, ribbons, you name it, with a particular focus on Washington state. This is a great one. It's a book from the 1840s-1850s. What’s great about this book is it was the personal copy of Wing Luke. Wing Luke, of course, we had the Wing Luke Museum. Wing Luke was the first Asian American elected to any political office in the Northwest.

(He's) a real hero of mine. I named my civil rights division after Wing Luke many years ago. Incredibly, it was his personal copy. It's signed by him. And when you go through it, he's got, it was used. Oh, man, I mean, he's got handwritten notes, which is incredible, and every page, you know, and he's just, I've left it exactly as it was. That's one of my favorites for sure. 

Taylor: John F Kennedy is another one. That's a recent acquisition.

Ferguson: John Kennedy was a well-known doodler. He was always drawing pictures on his memos and writing notes. And he writes a series of bullet points, including he writes, 'Meet with Scoop and Warren.' Warren Magnuson and Scoop Jackson (are) icons in Washington state.

It doesn't get any more Washington than Warren Magnuson, Scoop Jackson, University of Washington, and so something like that that ties a president, an iconic president, to Washington state in his own hand is pretty cool. 

Taylor: We do not have a female president yet.

Ferguson: For my daughter, I picked up an item signed by Eleanor Roosevelt. So when I first purchased it, it was that it didn't have any other autographs. So it said Eleanor, as signed by Elena Roosevelt, and she wrote, 'Good luck to you.' The idea was I would give it to her like, for a high school graduation gift or a college graduation gift or college graduation at the time. 

As the years went by,  I remember at some point Hillary Clinton came to town. So Hillary Clinton signed it, and then Katie met with Nancy Pelosi, first woman Speaker of the House, and had Nancy Pelosi sign it. And then that's Kamala Harris. And there's room for one more, as you're pointing out, one more autograph, and that'll be the first female president. (She) will be the last signature on there. 

Taylor: Tell us about this. 

Ferguson: It's 1889 which is the year we became a state. So moved from being a territory to a state, and in late 1889 we were a state. And Elisha Ferry, he'd been a territorial governor, but now he was also elected as our first governor as a state. So this is his inaugural message, his state of the state, and it's the very first one as a state. 

But what's especially great about it is it's actually signed by Elisha Ferry, and I'm only aware of one other document of this type that's signed by Elisha Ferry. 

Taylor: And it does have much more significance to you personally, now?

Ferguson: Yeah, of course. I mean, it's natural.

Taylor: What will you add to the collection? 

Ferguson: We’ll have to see. We’ll have to see. 

What's next for Ferguson

Ferguson takes office on Jan. 15, but won't be moving to Olympia full time. With two high schoolers and a wife with her own career, the family will keep their home in Seattle.

Ferguson will be sharing much of his collection with visitors by setting up an exhibit in the Governor's Mansion for visitors wanting to learn more about Washington's political history.