Jay Inslee Ends Campaign for President

Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, who mounted a dogged presidential candidacy raising the alarm about climate change, dropped out of the 2020 race Wednesday after struggling to earn a place in the next Democratic primary debate.

“I’m not going to be the president, so I’m withdrawing tonight from the race,” Mr. Inslee said in an interview Wednesday night on MSNBC, where he first made the announcement.

Mr. Inslee, 68, entered the race in March with a vow that if he were elected president, he would make climate the defining concern of his administration. He attracted interest with a forceful performance in the July debates in Detroit, challenging former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for what Mr. Inslee described as inadequate proposals to curb environmental disaster.

“Mr. Vice President, your argument is not with me, it’s with science,” Mr. Inslee said.

But in a crowded race full of high-wattage personalities and potentially history-making candidates, Mr. Inslee struggled to build support in the polls.

Source link