The Republican candidate, according to his campaign website, is focused on ‘affordable healthcare, public education, environmental protection, and social justice’

Brett Davis
The Center Square Washington

Dr. Raul Garcia announced Friday morning in Seattle that he is a candidate for Washington state governor in 2024.

A Yakima physician who is currently the director of Astria Toppenish Hospital, Garcia ran for governor in 2020 and lost in the primary.

“Washington State is poised for a new beginning with the upcoming governor election in 2024,” his campaign website says. “Raul Garcia has declared his candidacy and promises a powerful, trustworthy, and loyal approach to governing. With 25 years of experience in business, technology, law, and politics he knows how to get things done.”

The Republican candidate, according to his campaign website, is focused on “affordable healthcare, public education, environmental protection, and social justice.”

There is currently no information on the status of Garcia’s campaign funding, per the Public Disclosure Commission.

Garcia emigrated from Cuba as a boy and attended medical school in New York before eventually becoming an emergency room physician in central Washington.

On Thursday, he was in the same room with the man he hopes to replace, Gov. Jay Inslee, during a ceremony where the governor signed Senate Bill 5532 into law.

Per SB 5532, Astria Toppenish Hospital will receive 20% more from current inpatient reimbursement rates and double on outpatient reimbursement rates. The legislation, which goes into effect on July 1, 2024, is meant to focus on services with Medicaid patients to limit costs for the hospital.

Garcia joins two high profile Democrats in the 2024 governor’s race. Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz announced her candidacy on Wednesday. Before that, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that he had launched an exploratory bid for governor.

At the beginning of the month, Inslee announced he would not be seeking an unprecedented fourth term as Washington’s governor.

This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.