Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a two-term Democratic governor and former congressman, is best known outside the state for his focus on climate issues and renewable energy, but lately he’s getting notice for a different role: adversary to President Donald Trump.
And while he’s aware of the 2020 presidential chatter that includes his name, Inslee won’t talk about his 2020 ambitions—other than not ruling out a potential run for a third term as governor.
Cornell Clayton, director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University, said a governor from a small Western state would have an uphill battle in what could be a crowded Democratic field for president.
But he said Inslee’s public challenges of Trump have elevated his profile. Inslee’s embrace of issues like gay rights, defense of states’ legal marijuana markets and addressing climate change “put him on the map as a possible serious candidate,” he said.