Inslee seeking third term as governor after ending presidential bid

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced Thursday he will seek a third term as governor following his decision to end his 2020 presidential bid.

“I want to continue to stand with you in opposing Donald Trump and rejecting his hurtful and divisive agenda, while strengthening and enhancing Washington state’s role as a progressive beacon for the nation,” Inslee said in a statement.

“Which is why I’m announcing today my intention to run for a third term as Washington’s governor,” he continued. “I’m excited to do so — because our great success as a state these last few years gives me confidence that we can continue to lead the nation in so many ways.”{mosads}

Inslee, who launched his long-shot presidential campaign in March, focused his White House bid on the issue of combating climate change. But he struggled to garner support in the crowded field of candidates and dropped out before the next round of debates in September.

The Washington governor announced late Wednesday that he would be ending his White House bid, telling MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that it had “become clear” that he did not have a path to the nomination.

Inslee is the third Democratic presidential primary candidate to drop out of the race, following Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Hickenlooper announced on Thursday that he would run for Colorado’s Senate seat, challenging Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), while Swalwell will also run for reelection for his House seat.

Three Washington State Democrats – Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and King County Executive Dow Constantine – previously said they would be interested in running for governor if Inslee did not seek reelection.

Meanwhile, three Republicans have entered the state’s GOP primary, including state Sen. Phil Fortunato (R), law enforcement officer Loren Culp and Anton Sakharov. 

A Republican has not won a gubernatorial race in Washington in over 30 years. 

Governors in Washington are not subject to term limits, but most have usually served no more than two terms with the exception of Republican Gov. Dan Evans, who served three terms ending in 1977.