Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that he will not run for reelection, setting up a wide-open 2024 gubernatorial race that will have ripple effects all down the ballot.
Inslee, a Democrat first elected governor in 2012, had for months kept people guessing on his intentions, saying he was unsure whether he’d seek an unprecedented fourth term as Washington governor.
He finally ended the speculation with a statement Monday morning.
“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 the emailed statement, sent out just before 9 a.m.
Inslee, 72, is only the second person, along with Republican Dan Evans, to serve three consecutive terms as Washington governor. Arthur Langlie, a Republican, also served three terms, including two consecutive terms, in the 1940s and 1950s.
Inslee served eight terms in Congress, representing districts on both sides of the Cascade Mountains, before winning election as Washington’s 23rd governor in 2012, defeating then-state Attorney General Rob McKenna in an expensive and close race.
Inslee has been easily reelected governor twice as Republican prospects in Washington have dwindled.
He beat Bill Bryant, a Seattle port commissioner, in 2016, winning 54% of the vote. In 2020, Inslee took nearly 57% of the vote in a lopsided win over Loren Culp, a former small town police chief who refused to concede and lobbed baseless claims of fraud.
Inslee’s third term win came after a failed bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, running on an ambitious platform of slashing greenhouse gas emissions — an agenda that won praise from rivals and climate experts but never saw him gain any traction among primary voters.
Inslee’s departure sets up a competitive open-seat race to succeed him after years of stifled ambitions for other politicians.
Two prominent Democrats — Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz — are expected to quickly announce their candidacies for governor. Both were preparing to run in 2020, but stood down after Inslee announced his third-term run.
That will in turn clear the way for contests for their seats, creating a domino effect of opportunities for new blood in an array of state elective offices. In his statement, Inslee touted accomplishments including action on climate change, gun laws, a higher minimum wage and protections for abortion rights and gender-affirming care.
“Our last decade of Washington’s storied history is one of growth and innovation. I am proud to have played a role in our state’s leadership on so many fronts,” Inslee added. “We’ve passed the nation’s best climate policies, the most successful family leave benefits, the best college scholarship programs, a more fair legal justice system, and the most protective actions against gun violence. We’ve shown that diversity is a strength worth fighting for. This has been ten years of dynamic success.”
The state Republican Party celebrated Inslee’s announcement, saying it’s time to “turn the page on the disastrous Inslee era” in the state.
“For over a decade, Governor Inslee has taken our state in the wrong direction. His decision to not seek a fourth term presents an opportunity to elect a Republican governor who will put Washingtonians first and prioritize the needs of our communities,” said Caleb Heimlich, the state Republican Party chairman, in a statement.
Heimlich criticized Inslee’s “abuse” of emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pilfering of hundreds of millions of dollars of pandemic unemployment funds by fraudsters, and failures to adequately address the state’s homelessness and mental health crises.
Shasti Conrad, the state Democratic Party chair, said Inslee’s leadership made Washington a “beacon of hope” in a divided nation and vowed to defend his legacy at the ballot box.
“Governor Inslee’s steadfast leadership has guided Washington through both times of historic prosperity and unprecedented crisis. He kept us safe and secure through the coronavirus pandemic, and delivered transformational policies on climate change, economic justice, and gun violence prevention,” Conrad said in a statement.
Born in Seattle, the oldest of three brothers, Inslee is a fifth-generation Washingtonian. His mother was a sales clerk at Sears, and his father was a high-school teacher, coach and counselor, ultimately becoming the Seattle Public Schools athletic director.
Inslee went to Ingraham High School in North Seattle, where he was the starting quarterback on the football team, and a forward on the school’s state championship basketball team.
After graduating in 1969, Inslee went to Stanford University, but he withdrew after one year and enrolled at University of Washington to study economics.
Inslee and his wife, Trudi, married in 1972 and he went to Willamette University College of Law in Oregon. After law school, they moved to Selah, Yakima County, where he prosecuted cases in Selah Municipal Court.
Inslee first ran for office in 1988, taking on a conservative former mayor of Yakima for state House in a Republican-leaning district. He won by just over 3 percentage points.
He was elected to Congress in 1992, riding a big Democratic wave to represent Central Washington’s 4th Congressional District.
Two years later, he lost that seat in major Republican blowout year that saw the GOP pick up 54 House seats.
Inslee moved across the state to the more liberal 1st Congressional District and defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Rick White in 1998. He remained in that seat until resigning during his run for governor.
