When you’ve lost Christine Gregoire, you’ve lost Washington

When former Governor Christine Gregoire starts sounding the alarm about Washington state government, Olympia should pay attention.

Gregoire is not a conservative activist. She is not anti-government. She is one of the architects of modern Democratic leadership in Washington state. Which is exactly why her recent remarks to the Association of Washington Business were so striking.

And so politically significant.

Speaking candidly about the direction of state government, Gregoire noted that when she left office, Washington’s budget stood at roughly $33 billion. Today, it has ballooned to nearly $80 billion.

“I think that’s a little bit too much growth,” she said.

Then came the line that cuts directly against the dominant narrative in Olympia:

“I would suggest to you we don't really have an income problem, we have a spending problem.”

That is not a statement lawmakers in Washington are accustomed to hearing from one of their own.

For years, the answer to every challenge in Olympia has been the same: more spending, more taxes, more regulation, and more government expansion. Yet despite record revenue growth and an $80 billion budget, lawmakers still insist the state perpetually faces financial shortfalls requiring new taxes and new revenue streams.

Gregoire’s comments expose what many Washingtonians already suspect: this is not a revenue crisis. It is a culture of overspending.

But Gregoire’s criticism went beyond budgets.

Asked whether legislative leaders truly understand how their policies affect employers and economic growth, she responded bluntly:

“No, I really don’t.”

Why not?

“How many people from either of the Democratic caucuses have come from a business past? If you haven't come from it, you don't know it, you don't understand it.”

That may be the most honest explanation yet for the growing disconnect between Olympia and the people who actually power Washington’s economy.

Too many lawmakers crafting economic policy have never had to meet a payroll, manage rising operating costs, navigate regulatory uncertainty, or make difficult investment decisions in a competitive marketplace. Yet they continue layering new mandates and restrictions onto businesses with little understanding of the cumulative impact.

Gregoire described the pattern perfectly:

“And we're answering it by stacking one more tax, one more rule, one more regulation. And the one thing businesses don't need is a lack of predictability.”

Businesses can adapt to taxes. They can adapt to regulations. What they cannot adapt to is endless instability from a government that constantly changes the rules while treating economic growth as secondary to political agendas.

Washington families and employers are already feeling the consequences.

Housing costs continue rising. Energy prices climb. Employers face mounting uncertainty. Small businesses struggle under increasing compliance burdens. Investment slows while neighboring states aggressively compete for jobs and economic opportunity.

Meanwhile, government keeps growing.

That raises the question Gregoire posed most directly:

“When we pay state taxes, what are we getting in return? All too often we find we pay the tax, and things are getting worse.”

That question should terrify lawmakers in Olympia.

Because it reflects a growing sentiment among taxpayers across Washington state. People see government demanding more money every year while many of the problems they were promised would improve — affordability, homelessness, public safety, transportation, and education outcomes — continue deteriorating.

Eventually, voters begin questioning whether the system itself is working.

But perhaps Gregoire’s most revealing observation was not about spending or taxes at all. It was about culture. It was about the elected leaders in Washington who are literally saying "bye" when asked about the impact of taxes and regulations on business owners.

“Why aren't we expressing thanks and pride in the business community? The culture coming out of our legislative process is not open to how much pride and thanks the business community deserves.”

There it is.

The deeper problem in Olympia is not simply policy. It is attitude.

Too many lawmakers increasingly treat businesses not as partners in prosperity, but as political targets — convenient sources of revenue, regulation, and blame. The people and companies creating jobs, driving innovation, and sustaining the tax base are too often viewed with suspicion rather than appreciation.

That kind of political culture carries consequences.

States that continually punish productivity, discourage investment, and alienate employers eventually face economic stagnation. Opportunity shrinks. Employers leave. Families relocate. Revenues slow. And government responds by demanding even more from the people who remain.

That is how decline begins.

Christine Gregoire sees it happening.

And when even one of Washington’s most prominent Democratic former governors is warning about runaway spending, economic detachment, hostility toward business, and declining public results, perhaps it is time for Olympia to listen.

To paraphrase Lyndon Johnson: when you’ve lost Christine Gregoire, you’ve lost Washington.