Far be it from us to dissuade Gov. Jay Inslee from throwing his hat in the ever-widening 2020 Democratic presidential ring. Dream big, we say. You never know who might resonate with voters: a grinning peanut farmer from Georgia in 1976; a reality-TV star and real estate magnate in 2016. Predictions, especially this early, are a crap shoot — at best.
Officially, Inslee has not yet entered a race that is expected to draw somewhere between 30 to 300 candidates in early primary states. But all the rumblings are there, all the coy still-exploring-options-but-lining-up-donors talk is buzzing.
Last week, Inslee’s rather low profile beyond our state lines got an infusion of national attention. The Atlantic magazine ran a glowing profile, headlined, “Jay Inslee betting he can win the presidency on climate change.” He schmoozed with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, coming close but not quite going “All In.” A Washington Post columnist gushed that Inslee is a “successful West Coast governor.” He even got slapped around by the National Review, a badge of honor for any Democratic hopeful.
But, as of this writing, Inslee’s spokesman still is saying “No final decision has been made yet.”
Understood. But all indications are that the governor will be spending considerable time later this year in Iowa and New Hampshire. And that raises several issues for a governor with national ambitions, issues that often get left behind like so much morning-after convention confetti.
Namely, will Washington essentially be left bereft of leadership while Inslee is pressing flesh and munching doughnuts in diners from Des Moines to Dover? We know his supporters say he’s a mighty multi-tasker and darn-near indefatigable, but will he neglect Selah and Sequim? Or, will Inslee’s absence present an opportunity for Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib to burnish his gubernatorial credentials — provided Attorney General Bob Ferguson doesn’t stage a coup.
Seriously, though, being governor is a full-time job, and home-state constituents do notice when the boss is gone for prolonged periods.
Several sitting Republican governors made presidential forays in the last election cycle, and for most it did not go well either on the campaign trail or at home. New Jersey’s Chris Christie, Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker all slunk back to their state capitol buildings with weaker home-state approval ratings than before they left. Texas’ Rick Perry survived his lackluster 2012 presidential run upon his return to Austin, but when he tried again in 2016, even Texans tired of his act, though he was a hit on “Dancing with the Stars.”
According to Governing magazine, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been the only sitting governor to emerge from an unsuccessful presidential bid with his home-state approval rating intact (high 50s, low 60s). Then again, that’s assuming Inslee will wind up not being successful. Currently, his name-recognition is negligible, and he doesn’t even appear as an option to check off on the latest Iowa poll. Bill Clinton, recall, was a sitting governor in Arkansas in 1992 when he ascended to the presidency, so it can be done. Inslee boosters note that the political action committee he’s formed already raked in $112,000 in a month, and he’s met with deep-pocketed donors like Tom Steyer and consulted with Al Gore on climate change, Inslee’s signature issue.
If Inslee’s climate-change-focused message is not able to lift him beyond the depleted ozone layer above such Democratic darlings as Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and the old war horses, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, it’s unclear whether Washingtonians will welcome him back or consider him used goods and in need of a trade-in.
Part of it might depend on how long Inslee lasts on the presidential campaign trail.
Remember, taxpayers will foot the bill for the (at least) two members of the Washington State Patrol who, by law, are required to accompany Inslee on all his travels. The State Patrol is seeking an addition $1.3 million in the next biennial budget cycle to pay for what it anticipates is higher security costs. This past year, when Inslee’s term as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association took him all over the country during the midterm election, the State Patrol spent $400,000 more than its $2.6 million budget to pay for trooper overtime and travel.
State Republicans already are plotting to nip that expenditure in the bud. Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) has pre-filed a bill for the upcoming legislative session to curb taxpayer money for Inslee’s security.
It’s highly doubtful Walsh’s bill will pass, given that Democrats will control the House and Senate. But, if it did, would Inslee even be in Olympia to veto it?
