All eyes are on Texas as Republicans work to draw new congressional districts ahead of

26. But the battle for control of Congress runs through Southwest Washington, home to one of the

most competitive districts in the country. And that's where incumbent Marie Glucent-Camp

Perez has a new challenger. He's the Republican leader in the state Senate. Meet John Braun,

a moderate who could deliver the third district in the state Senate. Meet John Braun, a moderate who

could deliver the third district to the GOP this week on sound politics, wherever you get your

podcasts.

Good afternoon from the KUOW Newsroom. This is Seattle now. I'm Paige Browning.

Coming up, we'll look at the many ways that a school ties its neighborhood together,

especially when they're threatened with closure. But first, here's our roundup of today's top

stories. It's Wednesday, January 15th. Bob Ferguson is now Washington's governor. The Democrat took the oath of office

today and he's starting off strong with Republicans. Our Olympia correspondent, Jeannie Lindsay,

was at his swearing in. In his speech, Ferguson emphasized bipartisanship, a more conservative

approach to the budget,

and publicly threw his support behind several proposals,

including from Republicans like Senate Minority Leader John Braun.

Senator Braun, I hope to work with you to adopt reasonable limits on the governor's emergency powers.

We can do that together.

Ferguson's speech landed well with Republicans. At a press conference after, Braun said he and other members of the GOP are ready

to work with Ferguson where their interests align. During the speech, he said, I'm not here to defend

government. I'm here to reform it. Well, let me tell you, Governor Ferguson,

here's your team. But Democrats control the legislature, so the new governor will need support

...