Seattle Councilwoman Will Run For Attorney General In 2020

SEATTLE, WA — At-large Seattle Councilwoman Lorena Gonzalez announced Thursday that she'll run for Washington attorney general in 2020, and that might be a clue about who's going to run for governor next year.

Gonzalez, who was first elected in 2017, made her announcement in a video Thursday. In it, she describes her journey from growing up on a fruit farm in the Grandview area to becoming a civil rights attorney and Seattle Councilwoman — and now the run for AG.

"I decided that day, that if i every get off these farms, my mission would be to stand up for those who can't do it for themselves," she says in the video describing her reaction to once seeing a worker beaten by a farm owner.

There's no mention in the video of Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who may be a candidate to replace Jay Inslee. But Gonzalez did address the issue on Twitter.

" To be clear, I will NOT run against [Ferguson], who has led the state, and the nation, in protecting our civil rights. Bob is a good friend and he has served our state well," she said.

Other Democrats with an eye on the governor seat are King County Executive Dow Constantine and Commission of Public Lands Hilary Franz. Inslee has not said if he's running next year.

Republicans are also lining up for the 2020 races. Bonney Lake state Sen. Phil Fortunato announced his run for governor on Tuesday at Seattle City Hall, where he said he'll take a conservative approach to fixing the state's homelessness crisis. Republic Police Chief Loren Culp has also said he's running for governor.

Gonzalez will remain on the Seattle City Council during her AG run.