OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington’s longtime attorney general and a former King County sheriff are going head-to-head in another debate on Sept. 18.

Bob Ferguson, a Democrat who has been attorney general since 2013, will face former Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert in Spokane in a debate hosted by the Association of Washington Business and Greater Spokane Inc.

With no Republican having held the governor’s post in nearly 40 years, Reichert faces an uphill battle in November. Ferguson received about 45% of the votes in the August primary to qualify for the general election, compared with about 27% for Reichert.

Reichert was the first county detective assigned to the case of the Green River Killer, named for the waterway where the first of 49 women’s bodies were found in 1982. Gary Ridgway, the killer, was arrested and convicted in 2003 during Reichert’s second term as sheriff.

Public safety has been a key issue for both Ferguson and Reichert.

The state has experienced a rise in violent crime and ranked last in the nation in law enforcement officers per capita for more than 12 years running. Each candidate has vowed to hire more police.