(CNN) Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday that he will not seek a fourth term in 2024, saying in a statement that “I’m ready to pass the torch.”
Inslee, who is running in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, did not give any indication of his plans once he leaves office, saying only that “now is the time to focus intensely on everything possible us in the next year and a half, and I intend to do just that.”
In a statement announcing his decision, Inslee highlighted his record on issues such as climate change, child care, criminal justice reform and gun violence. Climate change is also a point of emphasis for Inslee in his short 2020 presidential campaign.
The second governor to serve three consecutive terms in Washington history, Inslee was first elected in 2012, winning a narrow race against Rob McKenna, then the state attorney general. Inslee has increased his share of the vote in two consecutive reelection campaigns, winning by more than 10 points in 2020.
Inslee has made climate change central to his agenda. He has signed several legislative packages that seek to address the issue, including efforts to establish emission caps. Inslee also implemented a paid leave program of up to 16 weeks, among the most generous in the country at the time, and he steered his state through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Inslee’s decision creates an open governor’s race in a state that has been reliably Democratic in recent cycles — even as Republicans work to win the state, with a 2022 matchup between Democratic incumbent Sen. . Patty Murray and GOP challenger Tiffany Smiley registered as the most expensive congressional race in state history. Murray beat Smiley by 15 points.
Potential successors on the Democratic side include Bob Ferguson, the state’s Democratic attorney general, who said he is “seriously considering” a bid, and Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz, who said “a lot of people are asking me to run.”
On the other hand, former GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler also showed interest in a run. The longtime 3rd District representative lost a competitive 2022 primary to a Trump-backed challenger, Joe Kent, after his vote to impeach Donald Trump drew the ire of the former president.