The gubernatorial debate in Washington is about the attorney general and the ex-sheriff who helped arrest a serial killer

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington's longtime attorney general and a former sheriff known for his work hunting the Green River serial killer face off in a debate Wednesday night. vying for the office of the next governor of the democratic stronghold state, where there has been no open election campaign for the top post for over a decade.

Bob Ferguson, a Democrat who has been attorney general since 2013, will face ex-sheriff and former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, a Republican, in Spokane in a debate hosted by the Association of Washington Business and Greater Spokane Inc.

With no Republican having held the governorship for nearly 40 years, Reichert faces a tough fight in November. Ferguson received about 45% of the vote in the August primary to qualify for the general electioncompared to about 27% for Reichert. Another Republican in the race, military veteran Semi Bird, received about 11% of the vote in the primary.

Under the state's primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, and the top two finishers qualify for the general election.

Ferguson was endorsed by leading Democratic politicians in the state, including Patty Murray, president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, and Jay Inslee, the nation's longest-serving governor, who decided against running for a fourth term.

Reichert, who served 33 years with the King County Sheriff's Office, including two terms as the top official, was endorsed by dozens of sheriffs. King County is the state's most populous county and includes Seattle.

Reichert was the first county commissioner assigned to the Green River Killer case, named after the waterway where the first of 49 women's bodies was found in 1982. Gary Ridgway was arrested and convicted in 2003, during Reichert's second term as sheriff.

Public safety is a key issue for Ferguson and Reichert as the state experiences a rise in violent crime and has ranked last in the country in the number of police officers per capita for more than 12 years in a row, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Both candidates have promised to hire more police officers.

Ferguson's plan calls for allocating $100 million to help local agencies hire more officers, including through hiring bonuses. Reichert said elected officials would have to show they support law enforcement, including by protecting qualified immunity laws, to hire more officers.