FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2024
Contact: press@wa-democrats.org

Seattle, WA – Last week, Salon reported that Dave Reichert, Republican candidate for governor, is advocating for Rapid DNA, a controversial technology that could be used for mass surveillance  in his plans for governor. The catch? Reichert previously worked as a lobbyist for this technology’s manufacturer, Thermo Fisher Scientific, after departing Congress, urging foreign governments to adopt it. Now, he wants to bring Rapid DNA to Washington State. 

According to the article, “Reichert is still advocating for [Rapid DNA’s] use in police departments in Washington and across the country, despite criticism that the technology enables government mass surveillance and that its apparent flaws could lead to innocent people being arrested for crimes they did not commit.” 

Voters deserve to know about Reichert’s shady lobbying career and how it’s impacting his policy plans for governor – especially considering his pattern of lying to the public and only disclosing the truth behind closed doors. This in mind, here are questions the Republican candidate for governor needs to answer: 

• Is Reichert still lobbying for this flawed technology? 
• Will Reichert disclose how much money he made – or continues to make – lobbying for Thermo Fisher Scientific? 
• Which foreign governments did Reichert lobby? How did they use this technology? 
• Does Reichert want to create a statewide DNA database in WA to surveil his opponents? 
• Why should women trust that Reichert won’t deploy this controversial technology to restrict reproductive freedom, given his history of infringing on women’s personal liberties, support for Donald Trump – whose Project 2025 “aims to ban abortion pills, increase surveillance and champion fetal personhood” – and false claims about his anti-abortion record? 

“Voters deserve to know the truth about Corporate Lobbyist Dave Reichert,” said Shasti Conrad, Chair of the WA State Democrats. “If Reichert has lied before to advance his own political ambitions, what’s to stop him from lying again? Washingtonians need answers.”

The Washington State Democratic Party is committed to advancing progressive policy, empowering the grassroots, and ensuring Democratic victories up and down the ballot. Chair of the Washington Democrats, Shasti Conrad, is the first Indian-American woman to chair a major state party.

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