Former “Survivor” Contestant Nick Brown Becomes First Black Person to be Elected Attorney General in Washington
Brown previously shared that his appearance on the reality show showcased his willingness to “change course and make big decisions”
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From Left: Nick Brown in 2001; and Nick Brown in 2021Former Survivor contestant Nick Brown has become the first Black person to be elected attorney general in Washington state.
Brown, a Democrat, defeated Pasco Mayor Pete Serrano, a Republican, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in the statewide election to succeed Bob Ferguson, who was elected to serve 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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Prior to making history on election night, Brown was a cast member on Survivor: The Australian Outback, which aired in 2001 on CBS. He finished seventh on the second season of the hit 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 his time on Survivor, Brown received a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in 1999 and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003, according to FOX affiliate KCPQ. He also worked as an officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army.
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The cast of 'Survivor: The Australian Outback'Brown finished law school after Survivor, according to theGrio. In 2005, he was deployed to Iraq and became an Army lawyer, per the Times.
Since then, Brown has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney, the general counsel for former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington. Now, he is adding state attorney general to the list.
Brown told theGrio he loved the idea of making history as the first Black person to hold the position of attorney general in Washington. “We’ve got a long way … to fully be inclusive and to fully include people’s voices and to make sure we’re not ignoring people that have been ignored for generations,” he said.
