FormerSurvivorContestant Nick Brown Becomes First Black Person Elected Attorney General in Washington

Mar. 15, 2025

From Left: Nick Brown in 2001; and Nick Brown in 2021.Photo:Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com/Alamy Stock Photo; AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Nick Brown 2001; Nick Brown 2021

Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com/Alamy Stock Photo; AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

FormerSurvivorcontestant Nick Brown has become the first Black person to be elected attorney general in Washington state.

Brown, a Democrat, defeated Pasco Mayor Pete Serrano, a Republican, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in the statewide election to succeed Bob Ferguson, who was elected to serve as Washington’s next governor, according to theSeattle TimesandNBC News.

At a watch party at the Seattle Convention Center on Tuesday, Brown, 47, promised his office would defend “your civil rights, your rights to an abortion, your environmental protections” in Washington. “There is so much for me to build upon from the work that Bob and his team have done to defend the rights of Washingtonians,” he continued, per theTimes. “I plan on picking up that baton in the days ahead.”

Nick Brown in 2017.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File

In this Feb. 23, 2017, file photo, Nick Brown, then-counsel to Gov. Jay Inslee, takes questions at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Sens. The U.S. Senate has confirmed a pair of firsts to be the Justice Department’s top lawyers in Washington state. Brown, the former general counsel to Gov. Jay Inslee, will be the first Black top federal prosecutor in Western Washington, while Vanessa Waldref, an environmental lawyer for the DOJ, will be the first woman to run the U.S. attorney’s office in Eastern Washington.

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Prior to making history on election night, Brown was a cast member onSurvivor: The Australian Outback, which aired in 2001 on CBS. He finished seventh on the second season of the hit reality competition, and was the third member of the show’s seven-person jury.

Before his time onSurvivor, Brown received a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in 1999 and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003, according toFOX affiliate KCPQ. He also worked as an officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army.

The cast of ‘Survivor: The Australian Outback’.Monty Brinton/CBS Photo Archive/Getty

Promotional portrait of the contestants from the television series, ‘Survivor:The Australian Outback’ shortly after their arrival, Australia, 2001. Front (L-R): Jeff Varner, Elisabeth Filarski, Debb Eaton, Alicia Calaway and Amber Brkich. Rear (L-R): Kimmi Kappenberg, Rodger Bingham, Colby Donaldson, Kel Gleason, Mitchell Olson, Michael Skupin, Keith Famie, Maralyn Hershey, Jerri Manthey, Nick Brown and Tina Wesson.

Monty Brinton/CBS Photo Archive/Getty

Brown finished law school afterSurvivor, according to theGrio. In 2005, he was deployed to Iraq and became an Army lawyer, per theTimes.

Since then, Brown has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney, the general counsel for former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington. Now, he is adding state attorney general to the list.

Brown told theGrio he loved the idea of making history as the first Black person to hold the position of attorney general in Washington. “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,” he said.

source: people.com

Other Posts

Powered by Hugo