Submission Details
WATCH: Constitutional heavyweights challenge legality of Washington’s new income tax
Apr 9th, 2026
Carleen Johnson
Impact Write-Up
The Center Square’s coverage of what followed Gov. Bob Ferguson’s signing of Washington’s new 9.9% income tax gave taxpayers sustained, detailed reporting on one of the state’s most consequential tax policy fights. After the bill became law, The Center Square produced more than 20 stories in the second quarter of 2026 examining the legal challenge, the effort to put the issue before voters, and the potential consequences for small businesses, investors, and taxpayers. Across the three highlighted stories, The Center Square’s reporting was republished 337 times, including 36 placements in Washington, reaching readers in a total of 47 states across the U.S.
The reporting stood out because it was built on exclusive interviews and source access developed through relationships with Washington lawmakers and legal figures involved in the challenge. In one story, The Center Square covered the lawsuit filed by former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, Citizen Action Defense Fund, and former state Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge. The story explained the legal argument that Washington’s income tax must comply with constitutional limits on property taxes, and included Talmadge’s concerns about small businesses seeking to grow and expand.
Another story showed that concerns about the income tax were not limited to opponents of the law. Democratic Rep. Larry Springer, who voted for the final bill, told The Center Square he had concerns about bypassing a public vote and warned that if the income tax is upheld by the courts, future legislatures could expand it to lower income earners. Springer also raised concerns about how pass-through business income could be treated under the law and said lawmakers should look carefully at Washington’s business and sales taxes.
A third story brought the taxpayer impact into sharper focus through an exclusive interview with Zach Abraham, principal and chief investment officer at Bulwark Capital Management, who called the tax the “final blow” and warned it could push businesses, capital, and investment out of Washington.
Together, the stories gave readers and viewers detailed, timely reporting on the constitutional, economic, and taxpayer implications of Washington’s new income tax.
Staff Submission
After Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed the first income tax into law, there was an immediate legal challenge and effort to get an initiative before voters. I wrote more than 20 stories about the income tax passage fallout and legal challenges in the weeks that followed in this second quarter of 2026. All of my interviews were exclusive and many of them gained national traction on social media. Through my connections with WA lawmakers, I was able to secure many interview connections and through our TCS relationships, I gained access to legal players involved in the challenge that other outlets could not obtain. Passage of the income tax is seen as the significant tax policy change in WA history and our coverage challenging that tax has informed our readers and viewers above any other coverage.