The Latest: Inslee: Climate change 'most daunting' challenge
SEATTLE (AP) — The Latest on Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement he’s running for president (all times local):
1:50 p.m.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says the Green New Deal being touted by some Democrats in Congress is an “aspirational document” and that he would soon detail his own climate change agenda.
Inslee announced his 2020 Democratic White House bid on Friday in Seattle by making the problem of climate change his signature issue. He says the Green New Deal is not meant to be a policy document.
He tells The Associated Press: “I will be rolling out my own proposed policy. It will be comprehensive. It will be robust. It will have a sector-by-sector approach which will be targeted to reduction of carbon pollution and job creation in each sector.”
He says he’s encouraged that many voices in the party are now speaking about climate change.
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12:50 p.m.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he wouldn’t declare a national emergency over climate change at this point if he is elected president.
Inslee announced his Democratic bid for the White House on Friday in Seattle and said he’d make climate change his signature issue.
Speaking to reporters afterward, he said he believed President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration over funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall was unconstitutional.
Inslee says, “If the rules change, of course everything will be on the table to figure out how we solve this problem. But, he says, “I would not commit to declaring a national emergency today.”
He says, “The best way to do this is to work with Congress to develop a national consensus about how to build a clean-energy economy.”
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10:25 a.m.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called climate change “America’s most daunting challenge” as he announced his candidacy for president.
The 68-year-old kicked off his campaign Friday in the garage of A&R Solar, a Seattle-based solar panel installer, joined by supporters and family members.
Inslee said the United States could reinvent its economy and create millions of jobs by pioneering new clean energy industries.
He also took a swipe at President Donald Trump, saying “unlike the man in the White House, I believe in all the people who make up America.”
Inslee is a former congressman and served as Democratic Governors Association chairman in 2018, when the party flipped seven Republican-held gubernatorial seats.
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7:05 a.m.
In a tweet sent after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced his presidential run, billionaire investor and Democratic activist Tom Steyer calls Inslee a “climate champion.”
Steyer says the 2020 election will decide whether the U.S. will “lead the world in overcoming climate catastrophe.” He tweets, “It’s good to know that a climate champion like @GovInslee will be in the race, pushing the country to recognize what is at stake.”
Inslee added his name to the growing 2020 Democratic presidential field on Friday morning. He’s making climate change a key part of his agenda.
In January, Steyer passed on running a national campaign himself, opting instead to continue his advocacy for impeaching President Donald Trump and removing him from office.
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4 a.m.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is adding his name to the growing 2020 Democratic presidential field.
The 68-year-old is announcing his bid Friday in Seattle after recent travels to two of the four early-nominating states.
Inslee is emphasizing climate change, highlighting his liberal record in Washington and offering an aggressive critique of President Donald Trump. He’s one of several governors and mayors vying for attention in a crowded field of prospects dominated by former Vice President Joe Biden, senators and others anchored in Washington, D.C.
Inslee says Democratic primary voters are looking for someone with a demonstrated record of accomplishments beyond the daily rhetorical wars of the nation’s capital.
Inslee is a former congressman and served as Democratic Governors Association chairman in 2018, when the party flipped seven Republican-held gubernatorial seats.
The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.
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