Leaked audio from a Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce event revealed Governor Bob Ferguson criticizing advertisements sponsored by the Washington Needs to Compete PAC. The political committee collected approximately $13.8 million, securing over $5 million directly from Microsoft alongside contributions from executives like Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer, and Brad Smith. Ferguson argued the ads damage the state's reputation to potential transplants and pointed to PitchBook data showing local startups raised $3.5 billion in the third quarter. He maintained that Olympia and major corporations must function as partners despite existing challenges.
Key points
Bob Ferguson challenged corporate claims of economic decline by citing $3.5 billion raise…: Bob Ferguson challenged corporate claims of economic decline by citing $3.5 billion raised by Seattle-area startups in the third quarter.
The governor urged major regional employers to highlight the state's economic strengths r…: The governor urged major regional employers to highlight the state's economic strengths rather than finance multimillion-dollar attack campaigns.
Ferguson reaffirmed his commitment to collaborate long-term with local business leaders d…: Ferguson reaffirmed his commitment to collaborate long-term with local business leaders despite his vocal opposition to the negative ads.
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Washington Governor Bob Ferguson is reportedly not happy with Microsoft. According to a report by GeekWire, Ferguson took aim at Microsoft over a political action committee's ad campaign criticizing the State government, speaking during what was intended to be an off-the-record business summit. Leaked audio obtained from the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Leadership Conference at the Suncadia resort shows Ferguson directly challenging the software giant. The audio was originally published by independent state politics newsletter The Washington Observer.
At issue is an ad funded by Washington Needs to Compete, a PAC that state campaign finance records show has raised roughly $13.8 million -- including over $5 million directly from Microsoft, alongside contributions from CEO Satya Nadella, former CEO Steve Ballmer, and President Brad Smith. Other corporate donors include T-Mobile, F5, Alaska Airlines and Weyerhaeuser.
The commercial reportedly targets the State capital, claiming that “Olympia is broken, spending more while you get less,” and features a line that particularly irked the governor: “In Washington, it used to be all you needed was an idea, a dream and the guts…
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