Earlier this month, voters in two western states, Washington and North Dakota, went to the polls to elect new Governors in their respective states.

Now, with the votes tallied, WGA congratulates Governor-elect Bob Ferguson of Washington and Governor-elect Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota on their victories and looks forward to welcoming both new governors to the Western Governors’ Association after their inauguration.

Kelly Armstrong is a lifelong North Dakotan, born and raised in Dickinson. He attended the University of North Dakota, earning a bachelor's degree in 2001 and a law degree from UND law school in 2003.

Armstrong began his law career in Grand Forks, where he practiced while his wife Kjersti finished her degree, before moving back to Armstrong’s hometown of Dickinson where their two children were born.

Armstrong began his career in elected public office in 2012, when he was elected to the North Dakota State Senate. In that office, he worked on a number of issues, including DUI reform, infrastructure investments, and North Dakota’s lakebed mineral crisis.

In 2018, Armstrong was elected to North Dakota’s at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he is currently serving in his third term. In Congress, Armstrong serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Committee on the Judiciary, and the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

Governor-elect Armstrong is an avid outdoorsman and baseball fan. He will succeed Governor Doug Burgum as the 34^th Governor of North Dakota when he is sworn in on December 15. Governor Burgum, who announced that he would not seek reelection earlier this year, has been tapped to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior in the next Administration.

In Washington, Governor-elect Bob Ferguson has deep roots in the state, going back four generations to family members that homesteaded on the Skagit River.

Ferguson attended the University of Washington in Seattle before receiving his law degree from New York University. In his earlier years, Ferguson became an internationally rated chess master, and he won the Washington State Chess Championship twice.

He started his law career in Spokane as a clerk for a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. After clerking, Ferguson returned to Seattle where he practiced law before eventually seeking public office.

Ferguson got his start in politics in 2003 by winning a seat on the King County Council. He served on the council for nearly a decade before deciding to run for Attorney General in 2012.

He has served as the state’s Attorney General since then, where he prioritized protecting consumers and senior citizens from fraud, safeguarding Washington communities, and taking care of veterans. He has also worked to combat the opioid and fentanyl crisis in Washington, took on retail crime, and pursued many other priorities on behalf of Washington’s citizens.

Ferguson is an avid hiker and climber, and he has summitted the highest point in 45 of the 50 United States. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two children.

Ferguson will succeed three-term Washington Governor Jay Inslee on January 15, 2025.

Both Ferguson and Armstrong are building their transition teams and planning cabinet appointments and priorities for their first months in office.

Training the semiconductor workforce: Last week, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced the launch of a semiconductor-focused Future48 Workforce Accelerator in Phoenix.

The new training facility will offer customized, hands-on training to support the state’s growing semiconductor industry. Students will learn the basics of semiconductor processing, including cleaning, probing, photolithography, and automated handling.

“From day one, my administration has been focused on putting Arizonans at the center of our booming economy, connecting them with the jobs of the future,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “Today we are at Gateway Community College to announce the fifth Future48 Workforce Accelerator program. This is an unparalleled opportunity for Arizonans to be job-ready for an industry that is powering the future.”

Watch Governor Hobbs talk about expanding and supporting the western workforce, including through semiconductor investment, with Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves at WGA’s 2024 Western Prosperity Forum in Phoenix.  

Rebuilding Teton Pass: Crews are working 24/7 to repair a section of the road on Teton Pass in Wyoming that gave out in a landslide this summer, greatly impacting the communities of Jackson, Wyoming, and Driggs, Idaho.

While the pass has reopened with a temporary detour, the ongoing project to permanently repair the road is slated to be completed next summer. To meet that mark, crews are working 24 hours a day until winter weather stops their work for the season.

Once completed, the road will follow the same path as it did before the landslide, though it will be improved and reinforced. The highway will be supported with steel pipes set into the bedrock, along with sophisticated drainage systems to prevent melting snowpack from destabilizing the area, as it likely did last summer.

California water security: water agencies in California have reached a funding agreement with the federal government to complete a $1 billion project to increase the water-storage capacity of the San Luis Reservoir – one of the state’s largest. 

The project would raise the reservoir’s dam by 20 feet, increasing the storage capacity by 130,000 acre-feet, equivalent to the amount of water used by 400,000 households. The boosted capacity would increase water supply for two million people, one million acres of farmland, and critical wetlands in the Central Valley that provide habitat for wildlife.

Water managers in the state say that the project will add resilience and water security for the region.

Drought-resistant crops in the desert: farmers like Matt Redd in southeastern Utah are planting resilient crops like Kernza, a form of perennial grain that uses much less water than other common crops in the region, such as alfalfa.

Kernza, which was developed by the Land Institute in Kansas, has roots that can reach 10 feet underground, allowing plants to go weeks without irrigation, even in dry climates. Kernza can be used as both a feed crop for animals, and in products like cereal or beer.

Matt Redd’s ranch near Canyonlands National Park is taking part in two regional programs to test resilient grains like Kernza to see how they perform in arid regions of the West.

Fighting homelessness: In Beaverton, Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the city’s first year-round shelter for adults experiencing homelessness.

The shelter will provide 60 beds, as well as meals, showers, and resources on a 24/7, 365-day basis. It will also provide housing navigation and dedicated support services to ensure that people experiencing homelessness can achieve greater housing stability.

“The work is certainly not done, but the opening of this shelter today shows us – despite the uphill battle we’re fighting – that we are making real progress, that we remain unrelenting in our goals,” Governor Kotek said. “We can change Oregon lives and communities. I am energized by the continued collaboration with local leaders to build a healthier, safer, more prosperous Oregon, where everyone has a safe place to call home.”