Gov. Jay Inslee joins crowded 2020 Dem presidential field

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee launched his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Friday, declaring climate change the nation’s most pressing issue and promising to build his White House bid around it.

“It is time for our nation to set a new priority,” Inslee told supporters gathered at a solar panel business in Seattle. “This is truly our moment. It is our moment to solve America’s most daunting challenge and make it the first, foremost and paramount duty of the United States, and that is to defeat climate change.”

The 68-year-old former congressman becomes the first governor to enter a race dominated by senators. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper are eyeing presidential campaigns.

It will not be easy for Inslee to garner attention with six prominent senators — Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — already running. Former Vice President Joe Biden and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke also are expected to make highly anticipated 2020 announcements in the coming weeks.

But Inslee says his emphasis on combating climate change will set him apart from his competitors and from Republican President Donald Trump.

“Climate change is a unifying issue,” Inslee told The Associated Press in a recent interview, calling it a moral necessity and an economic opportunity.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/gov-jay-inslee-joins-crowded-2020-dem-presidential-field/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=22607ace2c-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-22607ace2c-228635337

[Blue_true]

1. The more the merrier. Let the ideas pour forward and let the first debate come. nt

[sprinkleeninow]

2. "It will not be easy for Inslee to garner attention...."

Oh PTOOEY, herald. Go suck it.

He has every right to 'jump in'.

[Garrett78]

3. The article didn't say he doesn't have the right to jump in.

It just said it won't be easy for him to garner attention. An underdog in a large field has to find a niche to stand out. For Inslee, that's a focus on climate change. We'll see if that works for him.

[BlueStater]

5. Well, he's the only governor in the race so far.

In the early going, that's something that makes him stand out.

At the very least, history is on his side. Most presidents have been governors. Only Harding, Kennedy, and Obama were elected directly from the Senate.

[Garrett78]

7. 17 presidents were governors at some point. 16 presidents were senators at some point.

Now, it is true that 9 did go straight from being governor to being president, whereas only 3 went straight from being a senator to being president.

Nonetheless, I think it's highly unlikely that Inslee or Bullock (or Hickenlooper or McAuliffe) will win the 2020 nomination. Times change, and we have a lot of star power in the US Senate. Plus a former VP under a very popular president, Beto O'Rourke, Julian Castro, etc.

[BlueStater]

8. There's A LOT of incumbent senators running for president.

Harris, Warren, Booker, Sanders, Klobuchar, Gillibrand, and possibly Brown and Bennet as well. That's eight right there.

From my perspective, they're all going to have a hard time standing out from each other. Personally, I think Warren and Gillibrand are non-starters. They're not going anywhere. Gillibrand is an extremely polarizing figure among her own party and Warren has pretty bad political instincts from what I've observed.

[Garrett78]

9. Many candidates will have a tough time standing out, but not because of the office they hold.

There will be vote-splitting but not on the basis of what office the candidates hold. It'll have more to do with demographics, including the region in which candidates live.

[sprinkleeninow]

10. The article was neutral reporting until that comment, I thot.

It remains to be seen how well these 'underdogs' can do.

I'm fond of 'underdogs'.

[Persondem]

4. Yep, he's is my favorite at this point. Curious as to why? Link below ...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128711773

[Autumn]

6. He's in my top 3. Thanks for that link.

[Tetrachloride]

12. Governor Inslee is in my top 6

tied with several for 2nd place.

[CrossingTheRubicon]

11. I saw Jay Inslee this morning on This Week.

One good thing about 2020 is that it is raising the profile of some very fine Democratic leaders like Gov. Inslee.

Our party has depth.

[Wounded Bear]

13. He's my governor, but I'm almost unhappy that he's jumping in...

Don't get me wrong, I think he's been great for my state and I think he'd make a fine President.

But right now I'm not changing my "favorite" just yet. At the very least, he might elevate the Climate Change issue to more national prominence.

Frankly, I don't think he has a huge chance to make the final cut, but hey, that's OK.