Washington Gov. Jay Inslee won’t seek fourth term

Two prominent Democrats in the state have publicly been mulling runs while Inslee has been making up his mind: state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz.

Both Ferguson and Franz were considered potential replacements in 2020 when Inslee was running for president, but stepped aside once Inslee returned his focus to state office. King County Executive Dow Constantine, another Democrat who is regularly mentioned as a potential gubernatorial hopeful, opted against a run in mid-March.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary will likely be the early favorite in the open race. Inslee cruised by his Republican opponent Loren Culp by over 13 points in 2020.

Inslee, a 72-year-old former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, focused much of his tenure in office — and his brief presidential campaign — on fighting climate change. Before being elected as governor, he served over a dozen years in Congress — for one term in the early 1990s, and then from 1999 until he resigned in early 2012 to focus on his gubernatorial campaign.

He is currently the longest-tenured governor in the country.