WA Gov. Inslee heads to Iowa for fundraiser, prompting questions about presidential run

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Washington Governor Jay Inslee is headed to Iowa next month as the keynote speaker for a fundraiser at a gathering of that state’s leading Democratic officials.

However, a spokesman says just because Inslee’s making a trip to the home of the nation’s first presidential caucuses is not necessarily an early indication he has plans to run for the White House in 2020.  Inslee’s invitation is a result of his role as the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

Officials say Iowa has a hot gubernatorial race this year, and it’s part of Inslee’s job with the DGA to get more Democrats elected to those seats. He was in Nevada last month and will be in Colorado this week.

Iowa representatives say the attention for Iowa Democrats won’t likely shift from the governor’s race to the White House until 2019.

Since taking the post as DGA chairman, Inslee has fielded questions about a possible White House run. Several previous chairmen – Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton and Howard Dean – have later run for president, although most, including Washington’s Gary Locke and Chris Gregoire, have not.

Inslee’s name was mentioned a few times in 2017 after the state successfully challenged the Trump administration on its immigration restrictions. (Spokesman-Review)

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