Washington's Inslee Puts Climate Change at Center of Presidential Bid

Washington Governor Jay Inslee launched a longshot bid for the U.S. presidency on Friday with a vow to fight climate change and promote policies to make the country more prosperous and inclusive.

Speaking in Seattle in the chilly garage of a solar energy company, Inslee became the first governor to join the crowded field of Democrats vying for the party’s White House nomination in 2020, a race expected to be volatile and hard-fought as the winner faces off against Trump.

“I am running for president because, unlike the man who is in the White House, I believe in all the people who make up America,” Inslee, who regularly swipes at Trump on Twitter, said to cheers.

The governor and former congressman has made fighting climate change the centerpiece of his campaign, saying in an interview with Reuters on Friday that the effort will help improve America’s economy and health while also preserving the planet.

“You can’t have a healthy economy if your towns are burning down,” said Inslee, who recently visited the devastation left by climate-fueled wildfires in California.  “You can’t have national security without solving this problem.”

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