Washington Gov. Inslee joins Democratic presidential field

AP  |  Seattle 

Gov. will seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, mixing calls for combating climate change and highlights of his liberal record with an aggressive critique of

The 68-year-old is launching his bid Friday in Seattle, following recent visits to the first primary state of and the early caucus state of

"We went to the moon and created technologies that have changed the world our country's next mission must be to rise up to the most urgent challenge of our time: defeating climate change," Inslee says in a video announcement ahead of a public announcement later Friday in

Inslee is the to join a that has been dominated by senators. Gov. and former Gov. also are eyeing presidential campaigns.

It will not be easy for Inslee to garner attention with six prominent senators of New Jersey, of New York, of California, of Minnesota, of and of already running.

Former Vice and former Texas Rep. also are expected to make highly anticipated 2020 announcements in the coming weeks.

Inslee acknowledges his underdog status but says his emphasis on combating climate change will set him apart.

"Climate change is a unifying issue," Inslee told in a recent interview, calling it a moral necessity and an economic opportunity.

He promises substantial investment in sources that reduce American dependence on fossil fuels.

"This issue is connected to virtually every other value system and thing we want to do in our communities," he said, mentioning environmental justice, infrastructure, clean energy, health care and national security.

Inslee argues that no has hinged a campaign as heavily on climate and environmental policy as he will.

He may have a larger opening since billionaire environmental activist has passed on a national campaign, opting instead to continue his advocacy for impeaching and removing Trump from office.

Former City Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire who has spent millions of dollars on climate issues, may run.

Inslee has not specifically endorsed the Green New Deal introduced by Rep. and Sen. Inslee instead advocates for a more piecemeal approach he describes as ambitious but attainable, and he avoids promising specific reductions of carbon emissions under an absolute timeframe. The Green New Deal targets 2030 for the U.S. to become net carbon neutral.

Despite his emphasis on climate policy, Inslee says he's not a one-issue candidate. A former congressman, he pitches his breadth of personal and political experiences as ideal to bridge political and cultural divides among the Democratic base and the broader electorate.

Inslee is a white male baby boomer who was a clean-cut star and honors student in the turbulent 1960s, when he met his high school sweetheart, Trudi. She is now his wife of 46 years. That puts Inslee closer to the septuagenarian Biden than to the young rock-star-style candidates like O'Rourke or Booker, both still in their 40s.

Inslee has nonetheless governed as an unabashed liberal, promoting clean energy, gay rights, abortion rights, environmental preservation, tighter gun restrictions and more spending for education and job training. Most recently, he's called for a in that he calls a "step toward universal health care."

Republicans have not embraced him, with the state GOP recently deriding his "extreme environmental agenda" and pointing to its price tag. has quipped that Inslee's policies "may be geared toward more than Washington."

Inslee grew up in the area, with his mother working as a and his father as a

He started his legal and political career in small-town central Washington, where he won a state legislative post and, for one term, a congressional seat before being knocked out in the GOP sweep of 1994. He later returned to representing a metro-district for 12 years before resigning to run for and win the governor's office in 2012.

Inslee raised his profile serving as in 2018; Democrats picked up seven governor's offices, and Inslee became a familiar guest to cable audiences, using the opportunity to lambaste Trump on such issues as immigration and ethics.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, March 01 2019. 19:25 IST