Washington Governor Jay Inslee will seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, mixing calls for combating climate change and highlights of his liberal record with an aggressive critique of President Donald Trump.
The 68-year-old governor launched his bid Friday in Seattle, following recent visits to the first primary state of New Hampshire and the early caucus state of Nevada. Inslee is the first governor to join a Democratic primary that has been dominated by six prominent senators, with more expected to follow.
While Inslee acknowledges his underdog status, he says his emphasis on combating climate change will set him apart. Inslee says he’s not a one-issue candidate, and the former congressman pitches his breadth of personal and political experiences as ideal to bridge political and cultural divides among the Democratic base and the broader electorate.
As Washington’s governor, he has promoted clean energy, gay rights, abortion rights, environmental preservation, tighter gun restrictions, and more spending for education and job training. Most recently, he’s called for a state-based public option health insurance plan in Washington.
Inslee started his legal and political career in small-town central Washington, where he won a state legislative post and, for one term, a congressional seat before being knocked out in the GOP sweep of 1994. He later returned to Congress representing a metro-Seattle district for 12 years before resigning to run for and win the governor’s office in 2012.
Inslee raised his profile serving as Democratic Governors Association chairman in 2018, as Democrats picked up seven governor’s offices, and Inslee became a familiar guest to cable news audiences, using the opportunity to lambaste Trump on such issues as immigration and ethics. (AP)
