Semi Bird receives WA GOP endorsement at Spokane convention

SPOKANE, Wash. - Gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird received an endorsement from the Washington State Republican Party on Saturday.

In a Facebook video, Bird says he received the endorsement with a 72% majority vote as he attended the WA GOP Convention in Spokane last weekend.

"My friends, I am honored to report that on Saturday, April 20th, the Bird for Governor campaign received the Washington State Republican Party Endorsement by a super majority vote (72%) to give Olympia the Bird!"

Many convention-goers cheered on Bird during his time at the event, where he gave a speech rallying for continued support to win the race for governor.

This comes days after Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert withdrew his name for consideration of the state's GOP endorsement, citing a "disarray" in the WA Republican Party. Reichert said they twisted the rules to get Bird nominated after he was initially disqualified for having a criminal history.

Bird poked at this on another social media post, saying, "FACT: No Republican candidate can win a state primary without the support of the Republican base; especially after attacking and turning his back on the delegates and representatives of the Republican party base of Washington State."

Bird is the first Black American to be endorsed by the Washington GOP in the state's history. Apart from Reichert, he is also running against democrats Bob Ferguson and Mark Mullet.