There are many areas that Bill Bryant believes Gov. Jay Inslee has failed the state — education, the prison system, and the budget, to name a few. But some of the Republican nominee’s harshest criticism against Inslee is on the death penalty.

Related: GOP’s best shot for Washington governor and what he’s about

Bryant told KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz that there is no “moratorium” on the death penalty, but that the governor simply chose to avoid the decision, which he called a rather “cowardly” act.

“It’s actually one of the more, I don’t know, ‘cowardly’ might be too strong of a word, but maybe one of the more cowardly moments in that the governor announced early in his administration that he was not going to sign any of those orders,” he said. “It’s avoiding the issue…”

What might be even more surprising about all this is that Bryant bucks the general Republican belief on the subject, saying he also opposes the death penalty.

“I say no because I have a problem with the state being able to take life, but it’s the law,” he said. “So as governor I will enforce the law. And as long as it’s the law, I will enforce it.

“I’m going to focus on education, I’m going to focus on transportation, I’m going to focus on generating job opportunities all across Washington state,” he added. “But if the legislature were to put a bill on my desk abolishing the death penalty, I would sign it.”

There hasn’t been a Republican elected to the governor’s mansion in Washington since 1981. But some of Bryant’s ideas on social issues may help him get votes from voters that haven’t supported Republicans in the past. Beyond his ideas on capital punishment, Bryant says he also the same belief when it comes to abortion.

“I do not want the government telling me how to live my life,” he said. “I’m Catholic, I have my own views, but I know that any government that can force my religion on somebody else is a government that can force somebody else’s religion on me.”

Like Donald Trump, Bryant is a businessman who promotes how he is not a career politician, however, his positions share little in common with the Republican presidential front-runner. Bryant acknowledged that Trump as the party’s nominee would “maybe” hurt him, but not likely since this is “anything but a conventional year.”

“In a conventional year, yeah, you would say ‘yeah he’s the top of the ticket,'” he said. “But I don’t really see that given the circus that’s evolving being the top of the ticket. It’s almost becoming its own planet out in the orbit … I’ve already expressed my concerns about Donald Trump and I don’t think that he’ll be the nominee.”

Rantz’s full interview with Bryant airs on KIRO Radio at 8 p.m. Wednesday, but here’s a snapshot of his positions on other Washington issues:

Why Republicans have had a hard time getting elected governor in Washington: “There have been many times where we have missed this by just a point or two. And I think what we have now is a situation where those people who comprise that point or two, or three, or four are looking for an alternative. They’re not satisfied with the leadership they have in Olympia right now.”

On the I-405 express toll lanes: “If 405 is the future, it’s an ugly, grim future. We don’t want to have that as a model.”

Homelessness: “It’s not just a function of shelter, although that’s a big part of it. It’s also a function of mental health. It’s also a function of primary care, because you’ve got people who are not in a position to really make good decisions.”

Statewide minimum wage “While that makes sense in King County, to set a statewide minimum wage that is based on Seattle or King County’s cost of living will distort a lot of local economies around the state.”

Inslee’s budget threat “If you want to get involved with a supplemental budget negotiation, as a governor should, you shouldn’t wait until three days before the end of the session to start making threats. You need to start pulling people together in October, November, and December — identifying what the priorities are, identifying what the supplemental needs are and going into January with a general outline that you’ve hammered out with the leadership. He hasn’t done that. He’s exercised an absence of leadership.”