Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that he would not seek a fourth term, kicking off what will likely be a competitive primary on the West Coast.
Inslee, a Democrat, was first elected to the post in 2012, and subsequently won reelection in 2016 and 2020. He briefly ran for president in 2020 as well, suspending his campaign in the summer of 2019 and pivoting to running for governor and winning a third term.
“Serving the people as governor of Washington state has been my greatest honor. During a decade of dynamic change, we’ve made Washington a beacon for progress for the nation. I’m ready to pass the torch,” Inslee said in a statement on Monday.
Two prominent Democrats in the state have publicly been mulling runs while Inslee has been making up his mind: state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz.
Both Ferguson and Franz were considered potential replacements in 2020 when Inslee was running for president, but stepped aside once Inslee returned his focus to state office. King County Executive Dow Constantine, another Democrat who is regularly mentioned as a potential gubernatorial hopeful, opted against a run in mid-March.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary will likely be the early favorite in the open race. Inslee cruised by his Republican opponent Loren Culp by over 13 points in 2020.
Inslee, a 72-year-old former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, focused much of his tenure in office — and his brief presidential campaign — on fighting climate change. Before being elected as governor, he served over a dozen years in Congress — for one term in the early 1990s, and then from 1999 until he resigned in early 2012 to focus on his gubernatorial campaign.
He is currently the longest-tenured governor in the country.
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