WA Dem Gov Bob Ferguson adds Democrats, 'all victims of political violence' to half-mast flag tribute for Charlie Kirk

What should have been a solemn, unifying gesture has quickly turned into another unnecessary political controversy in Washington.

After the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk this week, President Donald Trump ordered flags nationwide to be lowered in Kirk’s honor. But Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, instead of simply following suit, tacked on his own conditions—expanding the tribute to include Democrats killed in Minnesota months ago and a broad category of “all victims of political violence.”

The move comes from a governor who has built much of his political identity in opposition to Trump. During his first term in office, Ferguson openly bragged about suing the Trump administration more than 50 times, turning legal battles into a key part of his brand as a progressive state attorney general who was planning a run for higher office.

More recently, Ferguson has come under fire for what members of the state GOP call a “propaganda” report, a document critics say was designed to shift blame for soaring prices away from Democrats’ tax-and-spend policies and onto Trump’s tariffs.

On September 8, Ferguson had issued a standard directive ordering US and Washington state flags to be lowered to half-staff on September 11, 2025, in honor of Patriot Day, the annual remembrance of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

But just three days later, after Trump’s order to honor Kirk, Ferguson amended his directive. In a new order dated September 11, 2025, Ferguson confirmed that flags would indeed fly at half-staff in Washington for Kirk, but he also added additional provisions that have sparked outrage.

The governor’s office announced that the lowering of the flags would also apply to Democrats killed three months ago in Minnesota, specifically Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were assassinated in June, as well as “all victims of political violence.” Ferguson’s order further referenced the attack on Minnesota Senator John Hoffman and his wife, who were seriously injured during the same incident, prompting many to ask why Ferguson had not ordered the flags lowered in June when the shootings occurred, and questioning if the move to add them to the Kirk/Sept. 11 order was purely political.

Despite the directive, sources told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI on Thursday that some Seattle city agencies, like the fire department, had not sent out the updated order. In response, firefighters told Hoffman they took it upon themselves to lower flags at local fire stations to comply with the national proclamation. Internal communications obtained by Hoffman show SFD brass finally sent out a directive to lower the flags to half-staff at 1:23 pm on Thursday.

Ferguson’s decision to expand the scope has drawn sharp criticism. Many conservatives view the move as an attempt to dilute and politicize a moment of unity by lumping in unrelated tragedies from months prior.