Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee plans to run in 2020 and focus on climate change

The roster of Democratic candidates for president in 2020 keeps growing.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is plotting a presidential run, The Atlantic reports, noting that he has launched a political action committee and plans to form an exploratory committee next. Inslee, who has served as the governor of Washington since 2013 and was previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, said he's "laying the groundwork that would make this a feasible thing in the relatively short term." Climate change, a long-standing issue of Inslee's, will be the primary focus of his campaign.

"When you've been working on something for over a decade, and now seeing people awakening to that, it's just really gratifying and heartening," Inslee said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

He added that he's ready to take on President Trump, saying the Democratic nominee must "show dignity and that you can help America to become united again" while also "demonstrating a strength of character and a core conviction that you're not going to be pushed around or bullied, and you've had it with his lower human behavior."

Inslee is the latest Democrat to dip their toes into the 2020 pool. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced the formation of an exploratory committee on Dec. 31. Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro recently formed an exploratory committee, as well. And more 2020 announcements are expected very soon, with Axios reporting that Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper are expected to make announcements in January, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former Vice President Joe Biden may "wait longer."