Last week, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced that he was running for president for the 2020 election.
Inslee’s campaign will focus on ending the threat of climate change. “We’re the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we’re the last that can do something about it,” he said in a short video announcement.
The announcement video, available for viewing at jayinslee.com, shows images of mass destruction created by fires and trash-filled landscapes, while Inslee calls on Americans to defeat climate change as one.
While detailing previous American achievements, such as going to the moon and making great technological advancements, Inslee calls on Americans to “rise up to the most urgent challenge of our time: defeating climate change.”
According to “The Seattle Times,” the governor began his campaign at a news conference at A&R Solar, a Seattle-based solar energy contractor. Inslee will begin his campaign trail in states that include Iowa and Nevada.
Inslee said that he believes America will be the one to end the looming effects of climate change experienced in this generation. “I’m convinced of this,” said Inslee, adding that “to do this, we have to have a leader who will say fundamentally and unequivocally that this is the number one priority in the United States.”
Inslee does not intend on leaving his job as governor during the campaign, and is leaving open the option of re-election as governor if he does not win the presidential election.
Washington Republican Party Chairman Caleb Heimlich has criticized Inslee’s work as governor, pointing to the rising homeless population and increased traffic congestion experienced in his home state. “Taxpayers are plagued by real issues that Inslee and his administration refuse to address. Governor Inslee should do the people of Washington State a favor and resign while he pursues his vanity run for the White House,” stated Heimlich.
Inslee stands as the only governor who is currently running for president. “People like to elect governors,” said Frank Greer, a Seattle-based political consultant. “And people perceive Washington state as a success story.”
Jim Camden, Political Reporter of the Spokesman-Review, states that the governor may be a long shot at winning the candidacy. “If you believe oddsmakers, he’s one of the longest of longshots, despite being the only governor so far in the race,” stated Camden, who cited an online poll from the Morning Consult that places Inslee in the bottom four of Democrats most likely to win the primary.
“We have one chance to defeat climate change, and it is right now. It is my belief when you have one chance in life, you take it,” said Inslee.
Inslee’s presidential campaign may be a “long shot” according to Jim Camden and other political analysts, who are unsure on the success of Inslee’s campaign due to its hyper-focused nature.