SEATTLE- Bob Ferguson is confident as he makes his final pitch before Election Day. Polls suggest he is well ahead of Republican Dave Reichert.

“We feel good,” Ferguson said during a whistle-stop tour to encourage volunteers in Marysville. He paused long enough to make his final stand in an interview with KOMO News, while also defending his attorney general’s office on issues such as retail theft and law enforcement.

Ferguson’s office created a Retail Theft Task Force in 2022 to crack down on organized activity targeting large and small retail businesses. But Nordstrom recently named King County the worst county in the country for retail theft, and there have been many high-profile break-ins in recent weeks. He defended the office.

“Yes, we are working to prosecute these cases. It’s not just a task force. We are forming a task force that will work with law enforcement, business leaders and the workers in these stores to address a real, serious problem we face. As a result of this work and coordination of these efforts, we went to the state legislature and asked for more resources to prosecute these crimes. This is something we have heard time and time again from companies and law enforcement. We need more resources and as you know, we cannot prosecute any of these cases,” Ferguson said.

Business owners have also pointed out that one factor is a lack of law enforcement to crack down on the crime. Ferguson claims he will spend $100 million on a public safety plan to provide money to increase staffing at the department. But when asked how quickly it would make a difference, Ferguson replied: “It will make a difference. “I’ve spoken to police officials and communities large and small where they said we would welcome it,” Ferguson said. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to complex problems.”

This all ties into the discussion about juvenile justice and juvenile prisons. The state has had its problems, and there have been several headline-grabbing incidents involving young people, including the recent murder case involving a 15-year-old suspect.

Asked if he would seek to close a juvenile prison in the state, Ferguson replied: “I was on the King County Council. I supported the new juvenile detention center that we actually have. I was a key sponsor of this legislation and ensured it moved forward. Because if someone commits serious crimes regardless of their age, there must be consequences.”

The other side of this discussion is about young people’s access to education. School districts like Bellevue and Seattle have cut staff, and the latter is currently discussing a closure plan. Ferguson had talked about eliminating the position of Superintendent of Public Instruction and making it a cabinet-level role to achieve greater accountability. He also said he would not offer charter schools or school vouchers, like his opponent Dave Reichert.

“The percentage that we as a state allocate to K-12 education has actually declined in recent years. I think it needs to go in the opposite direction,” Ferguson said. “We want to avoid bad ideas.” Dave Reichert supports a voucher program. A voucher program that would invest public money in private, unaccountable schools. That’s a bad idea and I think it’s doing a lot of damage to his campaign at this point.”

When Ferguson was asked what impact he thought this would have on the Seattle School District, he said, “It would make the situation a lot worse.”

Ferguson has often spoken about improving Washington state’s ferry service, although the plan is broad, and the state has already said new boats wouldn’t be in the water until 2028. While in office, the candidate said: “The construction of boats takes time, but (passengers) find it crazy when, for example, a boat is ready but there is a lack of staff to help the boat move properly.” These are problems that we can address in the short term. Part of it is salaries to attract people. Make training easier. We as a state can take steps to ensure the workforce is there. So when we have boats, they run perfectly.”

Ferguson said he couldn’t answer whether Jay Inslee’s recent announcement putting the National Guard on standby for election week was the right decision, but he said: “I support any steps we can take, any steps we take.” can to ensure this.” Votes are counted.”

Ferguson also highlighted his numerous endorsements from newspapers and other groups. The Seattle Times, in particular, endorsed Ferguson earlier this year, despite calling the candidate’s past behavior “petty, pushy and overly ambitious.”

When asked about the frame, Ferguson replied: “I’m not worried about that. When you’re in politics, it’s a contact sport.”

Ballots must be postmarked or dropped off at the polls by Tuesday evening at 8 p.m.