Jay Inslee
2013 - Present
2025
11
Jay Inslee (Democratic Party) is the Governor of Washington. He assumed office on January 16, 2013. His current term ends on January 13, 2025.
Inslee (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Governor of Washington. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Inslee also ran for election for President of the United States. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic convention on August 18, 2020.
Inslee is the second governor in Washington's history to win election to three consecutive terms.[1] Before becoming governor, Inslee was elected to ten terms representing Washington's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House from 1999 to 2012. In 1996, Inslee ran for governor, but lost in the primary. Before this first run for governor, Inslee represented Washington's 4th Congressional District from 1993 to 1995 and District 14 in the state House from 1989 to 1993.[2]
Inslee's election as governor in 2012 preserved Washington's Democratic trifecta. At the time of his first election, Democrats had held a trifecta in Washington since 2004 after gaining a majority in the state Senate. During Inslee's first term, Washington became a divided government when Republicans won control of the Senate. Democrats regained control in 2018, once again creating a Democratic trifecta.
On May 1, 2023, Inslee announced that he would not seek re-election to Governor of Washington.[3]
Biography
Inslee was born February 9, 1951, in Seattle, Washington.[4] He received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Washington in 1972 and a law degree from Willamette University in 1976.[2][5] Following his graduation from law school, Inslee worked in Selah, Washington, as an attorney with Peters, Schmalz, Leadon & Fowler.[6] In this position, he also worked as a prosecutor in Selah Municipal Court from 1976 to 1984.[6][2][5]
Inslee first held public office in 1989 following his election to represent District 14 in the Washington House of Representatives. He was elected to represent Washington's 4th Congressional District in 1992 and lost his re-election in 1994. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 1996. In 1998, President Bill Clinton (D) appointed Inslee as a regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a position he held until 1998, when he was elected to represent Washington's 1st Congressional District. He resigned from Congress in 2012 to focus on his 2012 run for governor.[2]
In 2009, Inslee co-authored Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy alongside Bracken Hendricks.[7]
Political career
Governor of Washington (2013-present)
Inslee was elected Governor of Washington in 2012. He won re-election in 2016 and 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives (1999-2012)
Inslee represented Washington's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2012.
Committee assignments
2011-12
Inslee was a member of the following committees:[2][8]
- House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Subcommittee on Energy and Power
U.S. House of Representatives (1993-1995)
Inslee represented Washington's 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995.
Washington House of Representatives (1989-1993)
Inslee represented District 14 in the Washington House of Representatives from 1989 to 1993.
Elections
2024
- See also: Washington gubernatorial election, 2024
Jay Inslee did not file to run for re-election.
2020
Gubernatorial election
See also: Washington gubernatorial election, 2020
General election
General election for Governor of Washington
Incumbent Jay Inslee defeated Loren Culp in the general election for Governor of Washington on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jay Inslee (D) | 56.6 | 2,294,243 | |
| Loren Culp (R) | 43.1 | 1,749,066 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 13,145 | ||
| Total votes: 4,056,454 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Washington
The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of Washington on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jay Inslee (D) | 50.1 | 1,247,916 | |
| ✔ | Loren Culp (R) | 17.4 | 433,238 | |
| Joshua Freed (R) | 8.9 | 222,553 | ||
| Tim Eyman (R) | 6.4 | 159,495 | ||
| Raul Garcia (R) | 5.4 | 135,045 | ||
| Phil Fortunato (R) | 4.0 | 99,265 | ||
| Don Rivers (D) | 1.0 | 25,601 | ||
| Leon Lawson (Trump Republican Party) | 0.9 | 23,073 | ||
| Liz Hallock (G) | 0.9 | 21,537 | ||
| Cairo D'Almeida (D) | 0.6 | 14,657 | ||
| Anton Sakharov (Trump Republican Party) | 0.6 | 13,935 | ||
| Nate Herzog (Pre-2016 Republican Party) | 0.5 | 11,303 | ||
 | Gene Hart (D) | 0.4 | 10,605 | |
| Omari Tahir-Garrett (D) | 0.4 | 8,751 | |
| Ryan Ryals (Unaffiliated) | 0.3 | 6,264 | |
| Henry Dennison (Socialist Workers Party) | 0.2 | 5,970 | ||
| GoodSpaceGuy (Trump Republican Party) | 0.2 | 5,646 | ||
| Richard Carpenter (R) | 0.2 | 4,962 | ||
| Elaina Gonzalez (Independent) | 0.2 | 4,772 | |
| Matthew Murray (R) | 0.2 | 4,489 | |
| Thor Amundson (Independent) | 0.1 | 3,638 | ||
| Bill Hirt (R) | 0.1 | 2,854 | ||
| Martin Wheeler (R) | 0.1 | 2,686 | |
| Ian Gonzales (R) | 0.1 | 2,537 | |
| Joshua Wolf (New Liberty Party) | 0.1 | 2,315 | ||
| Cregan Newhouse (Unaffiliated) | 0.1 | 2,291 | ||
| Brian Weed (Unaffiliated) | 0.1 | 2,178 | |
| Alex Tsimerman (Standup-America Party) | 0.1 | 1,721 | ||
| Tylor Grow (R) | 0.1 | 1,509 | |
| Dylan Nails (Independent) | 0.1 | 1,470 | ||
| Craig Campbell (Unaffiliated) | 0.0 | 1,178 | |
| William Miller (American Patriot Party) | 0.0 | 1,148 | |
| Cameron Vessey (Unaffiliated) | 0.0 | 718 | |
| Winston Wilkes (Propertarianist Party) | 0.0 | 702 | |
| David Blomstrom (Fifth Republic Party) | 0.0 | 519 | ||
| David Voltz (Cascadia Labour Party) | 0.0 | 480 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 1,938 | ||
| Total votes: 2,488,959 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mathew Mackenzie (R)
- Phillip Bailey (D)
- Asa Palagi (Independent)
- Lisa Thomas (Unaffiliated)
- Matthew Heines (Unaffiliated)
2016
- See also: Washington gubernatorial election, 2016
General election
Incumbent Jay Inslee defeated Bill Bryant in the Washington governor election.
| Washington Governor, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jay Inslee Incumbent |
54.24% | 1,760,520 | |
| Republican | Bill Bryant | 45.49% | 1,476,346 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.26% | 8,416 | ||
| Total Votes | 3,245,282 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
The following candidates ran in the Washington primary for governor.
| Washington primary for governor, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jay Inslee Incumbent |
49.30% | 687,412 | |
| Republican | Bill Bryant |
38.33% | 534,519 | |
| Republican | Bill Hirt | 3.47% | 48,382 | |
| Democratic | Patrick O'Rourke | 2.91% | 40,572 | |
| Independent | Steve Rubenstein | 1.62% | 22,582 | |
| Democratic | James Robert Deal | 1.05% | 14,623 | |
| Democratic | Johnathan Dodds | 1.01% | 14,152 | |
| Republican | Goodspaceguy | 0.95% | 13,191 | |
| Socialist Workers Party | Mary Martin | 0.74% | 10,374 | |
| Fifth Republic Party | David Blomstrom | 0.32% | 4,512 | |
| Holistic Party | Christian Joubert | 0.29% | 4,103 | |
| Total Votes | 1,394,422 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
2012
- See also: Washington gubernatorial election, 2012
General election
| Governor of Washington General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jay Inslee |
51.4% | 1,582,802 | |
| Republican | Rob McKenna | 48.3% | 1,488,245 | |
| Other | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 8,592 | |
| Total Votes | 3,079,639 | |||
| Election results via Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Governor of Washington, Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jay Inslee |
47.1% | 664,534 | |
| Republican | Rob McKenna |
42.9% | 604,872 | |
| Republican | Shahram Hadian | 3.3% | 46,169 | |
| Democratic | Rob Hill | 3.2% | 45,453 | |
| Independent | James White | 1% | 13,764 | |
| No Party Preference | Christian Joubert | 0.7% | 10,457 | |
| Independent | L. Dale Sorgen | 0.7% | 9,734 | |
| Republican | Max Sampson | 0.6% | 8,753 | |
| Republican | Javier O. Lopez | 0.4% | 6,131 | |
| Total Votes | 1,409,867 | |||
| Election results via Washington Secretary of State | ||||
2010
| U.S. House of Representatives General Election, Washington, Congressional District 1, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jay Inslee Incumbent |
57.7% | 172,642 | |
| Republican | James Watkins | 42.3% | 126,737 | |
| Total Votes | 299,379 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jay Inslee did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2012
Inslee outlined his priorities and plans for the governorship on his official campaign website. Key issues included, but were not limited to:[9]
|
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
Call for Troy Kelley resignation (2015)
- See also: State Auditor recall, Washington (2015)
In April 2015, Inslee called for the resignation of Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley (D) following Kelley's indictment on charges including filing false tax returns and possession of stolen property.[12][13] Kelly began an unpaid leave of absence on May 4, 2015, and returned to office on December 8, 2015.[14][15] Kelley did not seek re-election in 2016 and left office in 2017.
To read more, see here.
Suspending death penalty (2014)
On February 11, 2014, Governor Inslee suspended the death penalty in Washington by issuing stays of execution to its nine death row prisoners.[16] He did not issue pardons or commute any sentences as part of this suspension. In a statement, the governor's office explained Inslee's reasoning: "Inslee said it is clear to him that use of capital punishment is inconsistent and unequal, and it’s time to have a conversation about ensuring equal justice under the law. 'Equal justice under the law is the state’s primary responsibility. And in death penalty cases, I’m not convinced equal justice is being served.'"[17]
Stance on Syrian refugee resettlement (2015)
- Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees
In September 2015, President Barack Obama (D) announced a plan to allow up to 10,000 new Syrian refugees into the U.S. over the following year.[18]
Inslee expressed support for the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of Washington. He said, "I stand firmly with President Obama who said [Monday] morning. We do not close our hearts to these victims of such violence and somehow start equating the issue of refugees with the issue of terrorism."[19]}}
Ballot measure activity
The following table details Inslee's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
| Ballot measure support and opposition for Jay Inslee | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot measure | Year | Position | Status |
| Referendum 88, Vote on I-1000 Affirmative Action Measure | 2019 | Supported[20] | |
| Initiative 1000, Affirmative Action and Diversity Commission Measure | 2019 | Supported[21] | Approved by the legislature |
| Initiative 1631, Carbon Emissions Fee Measure | 2018 | Supported[22] | |
| Initiative 735, Advisory Question about the Rights of Corporations and Money as Free Speech | 2016 | Supported[23] | |
| Initiative 1491, Individual Gun Access Prevention by Court Order | 2016 | Supported[24] | |
| Initiative 1433, Minimum Wage Increase | 2016 | Supported[25] | |
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Inslee and his wife, Trudi, have three children: Joe, Connor, and Jack.[4][2]
See also
| Washington | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
|
Candidate Governor of Washington |
Officeholder Governor of Washington |
Footnotes
- ↑ Daniel J. Evans (R) won three terms as governor in 1964, 1968, and 1972.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Biographical Director of the United States Congress, "Inslee, Jay Robert," accessed February 8, 2019 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ The Hill, "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he won’t seek a fourth term," May 1, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 VoteSmart, "Jay Inslee's Biography," accessed May 28, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Governor Jay Inslee, "About Jay," accessed Jan. 12, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Seattle Times, "Inslee’s political career took off as Democrat in GOP territory," Aug. 25, 2012
- ↑ Politifact, "Who is Jay Inslee? A bio of the Democratic presidential candidate," June 13, 2019
- ↑ United States Congressman Jay Inslee, Washington's 1st Congressional District, "Jay Inslee"
- ↑ Jay Inslee Official Campaign Website, "Issues," accessed September 6, 2012
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Inslee would embrace Medicaid expansion as Governor," September 21, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Peninsula Daily News, "Gov. Inslee repeats call for embattled state auditor to resign post; will Kelley be paid during ‘leave of absence’?" April 19, 2015
- ↑ The United States Attorney's Office Western District of Washington, "Washington State Auditor Troy X. Kelley Indicted For Filing False Tax Returns, False Declarations, Obstruction And Possession Of Stolen Property," April 16, 2015
- ↑ KNDO 23, "State Auditor Troy Kelley Starts Leave of Absence on Monday with No Pay or Benefits," April 28, 2015
- ↑ The News Tribune, "Indicted state Auditor Troy Kelley returns from leave," Dec. 8, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Washington governor suspends death penalty," February 13, 2014
- ↑ Washington Governor Jay Inslee, "Gov. Jay Inslee announces capital punishment moratorium," February 13, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Obama Increases Number of Syrian Refugees for U.S. Resettlement to 10,000," Sept. 10, 2015
- ↑ KIRO TV, "Gov. Jay Inslee: 'Washington welcomes those seeking refuge,'" November 16, 2015
- ↑ Washington Governor's Office, "Inslee statement regarding effort to overturn I-1000," accessed Aug. 21, 2019
- ↑ Washington Governor's Office, "Inslee statement regarding effort to overturn I-1000," accessed Aug. 21, 2019
- ↑ Q13 Fox, "Washington governor backs proposed carbon fee initiative," accessed Aug. 21, 2019
- ↑ Yes on 735, "Endorsements," accessed Sept. 20, 2016
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Inslee, Gabrielle Giffords rally Seattle voters Saturday on gun initiative," Oct. 21, 2016
- ↑ KGW.com, "Gov. Inslee collects signatures for statewide minimum wage, paid sick leave initiative," June 9, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Christine Gregoire (D) |
Governor of Washington 2013-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
U.S. House Washington District 1 1999-2012 |
Succeeded by Suzan DelBene (D) |
| Preceded by - |
U.S. House of Representatives 1993-1995 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Washington House of Representatives 1988-1992 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
City prosecutor Selah Washington 1976-1984 |
Succeeded by - |
 |
State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2024 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |