Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) is not running for reelection in 2024, stating that he is ready to “pass the torch.”
Inslee announced the end of his time as governor in a news release on Monday. He was the only Washington state governor to serve three consecutive terms after being most recently reelected in 2020. The state has no gubernatorial limits in place.
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“Serving the people as governor of Washington state has been my greatest honor,” Inslee said in a statement. “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 recently shoveled out legislative wins, including a ban on the sale of semi-automatic weapons in Washington state and abolishing the death penalty, following a similar trend in Democratic states.
“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. 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,” Inslee said.
“We’ve shown that diversity is a strength worth fighting for. This has been ten years of dynamic success,” he continued.
With Inslee declining to run for reelection, it is possible the state may see a Republican sitting in the governor’s office. A March poll showed that if Inslee was not running, Republican Bruce Dammeier could lead the way with 35% of the vote, followed by Democrat Bob Ferguson with 21%. Dammeier is the Pierce County executive, though he served eight years in the Navy and two terms in the state House of Representatives. Ferguson is the state’s attorney general.
With his state career coming to an end, Inslee may be possibly looking toward higher office. He unsuccessfully ran in 2020 to be the Democrats’ nominee for president before backing President Joe Biden. Still, the Washington state governor has been dubbed a possible candidate for the 2028 race, which would catapult him to a higher level of prominence among Democratic White House hopefuls.
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Inslee stated now is the time to be “intensely” focused on the remaining year and a half so he can continue his work that has improved “Washingtonians’ lives in many ways and many places.”
“I look forward to continued partnership with legislators and community leaders to address Washington’s homelessness crisis, speed our efforts to expand behavioral health services, continue our fight against climate change, and continue making Washington a beacon of progress for all,” the governor said.
