Nick Brown makes history as first Black attorney general in Washington state

Nick Brown has been elected attorney general in Washington, making history as the first Black American to serve in the executive office. Brown easily bested his Republican opponent, Pete Serrano.

Brown ran his campaign on tackling issues like gun violence, substance abuse and crime by addressing their root causes, including expanding access to living-wage jobs, housing, education, and mental health support. The attorney general role will be Brown’s first job in elected office.

The 47-year-old Democrat served in the U.S. Army, worked as a federal prosecutor, and served as general counsel for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

The father of two and proud “soccer dad” told theGrio in a previous interview that after years of service in the U.S. military and the U.S. Department of Justice, he realized that if he wanted to make significant changes in policies that touch the lives of Black and brown communities, he had to run for public office.

Brown said he hopes to “harness” the attorney general’s office’s power to give marginalized communities access and serve as a “sounding board” for them. He also centered his candidacy on issues like defending abortion rights, safeguarding against climate change, and protecting democracy. In a campaign ad, he vowed to defend the civil rights of every Washingtonian.

The historic nature of Brown’s candidacy was not lost on the Morehouse College and Harvard Law School graduate. He told theGrio that the lack of diversity in his state was all the more reason to enter public office.

Politics

“We are historically a very white city and state, and certainly our politics has been dominated by white folks,” said Brown, who grew up in Seattle. “I love the idea of making history. Not just to be the first but to bring perspective as a Black man to the office to try to improve the way that we do justice in this state.”

Though the solidly blue state of Washington doesn’t have a large Black population (less than 5%), the Democratic candidate noted that the state is particularly diverse when you include its Hispanic, Asian, Indian, and Native American communities. Despite its diversity, however, Washington has historically dealt with the same issues many other states experience regarding racial inequality and criminal justice. 

“We’ve got a long way … to fully be inclusive and to fully include people’s voices and to make sure we’re not ignoring people that have been ignored for generations,” said Brown.

Before embarking on his legal career, Brown competed on the reality competition show “Survivor” more than 20 years ago. Considered a physical threat on the show, Brown finished in the top seven.

“[I] went out and played this crazy game and then came back and finished law school and went on with my life,” he shared with theGrio. “I never aspired to be anything other than what I was on the path to being, but I loved the adventure and the excitement and craziness of doing this reality TV show.”

The progressive attorney said “Survivor” was his first exposure to being a public person. 

“Thankfully, when I was on the show, social media didn’t really exist, so I wasn’t too caught up in all the madness that comes with that,” he explained. “But I do think it shows a little bit about my personality that I like an adventure … I’m not afraid to change course and make big decisions.”

Brown blamed former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, for the vitriol spreading across the country as it relates to race in America.

“Former President Trump has, I think, further empowered people to be blatantly racist, to be led by their own grievances or fears, or hatred for other folks,” he said. “But it’s not just him. It’s a whole party that has shifted that way in recent years.” 

Brown argued that the country often gets “distracted” or “too focused” on the presidency and what’s happening in Washington, D.C., but really, voters should turn their attention to who is occupying public offices down the ballot. 

“The more that we can turn to state and local efforts, the more success that we’ll have because most of the things that I think we care about as Black Americans or any sort of American are really being decided [there],” he argued. 

“We are not going to protect and strengthen our history and our voice in America as Black Americans, or any other racial minority unless we are willing to participate,” said Brown. “Unless we are willing to educate and demand elected leaders actually hear from us. If we stay on the sidelines, decisions are going to be made for us.”