Nick Brown, a former Survivor contestant, has made history as the first Black person elected attorney general in Washington state. A Democrat, Brown defeated Republican Pasco Mayor Pete Serrano on Tuesday, November 5, in the statewide election, as reported by PEOPLE.
He will succeed Bob Ferguson, who was elected as Washington’s next governor, according to the Seattle Times and NBC 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 the Times. “I plan on picking up that baton in the days ahead.”
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Before his historic election, Brown appeared on Survivor: The Australian Outback, which aired in 2001 on CBS. He finished seventh in the second season of the reality competition and was the third member of the show’s seven-person jury.
Speaking with theGrio in March, Brown said he was in law school when he applied for the show, which he believes showcased his willingness to “change course and make big decisions.” He explained, “I never aspired to be anything other than what I was on the path to being, but I loved the adventure and the excitement and craziness of doing this reality TV show.”
Before appearing on Survivor, Brown earned a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in 1999 and went on to earn a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003, according to FOX affiliate KCPQ.
He served as an officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army. After finishing law school post-Survivor, Brown was deployed to Iraq in 2005, where he worked as an Army lawyer, as reported by the Times.
Brown has held several prominent positions, including assistant U.S. attorney, general counsel for former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington.
Now, he adds state attorney general to his list of accomplishments.
