Inslee Campaign Press Release - What People Are Saying About Jay Inslee at the Second Democratic Debate

Jay Inslee Breaks Out at Second Democratic Debate

Detroit, MI - Governor Jay Inslee had a breakout performance at tonight's second Democratic presidential debate. Inslee led the conversation on climate change, setting the tone for the discussion from his opening statement to his close, including holding Vice President Biden accountable for his "middling" climate plan.

Inslee received praise from environmental activists, union leaders, voters, and the media, who highlighted both his activism on climate change and strong stances on issues such as LGTBQ rights, gender pay equity, mental health and the Iraq war.

Here's what people are saying about Governor Inslee's performance:

Representative Rashida Tlaib, MI-13
Governor @JayInslee, thank you for recognizing the harmful air quality in the #48217 neighborhood. We have the right to breathe clean air. #GreenNewDeal #DemDebate

Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls
100% agree with Gov. @JayInslee on the need for expanded mental health services. I hear about it all the time, it's a huge issue in Iowa for people from every walk of life.

Ilyse Hogue, President, NARAL Pro-Choice America
"As someone who stays up at night worrying about what climate change means for my children, I'm so grateful for @JayInslee making sure the crisis gets a place on the big stage. But lest anyone call @JayInslee a one-issue candidate, he has always been a leader on reproductive freedom, signing a bill to protect and advance abortion rights this legislative session. He's a champ."

"Appreciate @JayInslee calling out the systemic gender discrimination that devalues professions overwhelmingly held by women, specific policies to fix it. And, I love my sisters who are leading right now in these professions to make change through collective action." - Sara Nelson

Dr Michael Mann, Climate Scientist and Author
"Who is best on climate. I don't think there's any question. It's Inslee."

Leah Greenberg, Co-Executive Director, Indivisible
[flame emojis] from @JayInslee:

"Mr. Vice President, your argument is not with me, but with science."

"I believe that *survival* is realistic."

David Axelrod, Former Chief Strategist for Barack Obama
I also think @JayInslee has had a very good night. Not flashy, but earnest. And on climate change, quite strong.

Jigar Shah, Principal, Generate Capital and/or Clean Energy Entrepreneur
"Restoring the climate is the biggest economic opportunity of our generation. The next President must be a climate President, and Jay Inslee demonstrated tonight that he has the leadership vision that will be needed to build a clean energy economy."

Reed Hundt, CEO, Coalition for Green Capital, and former Chair, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
"The climate crisis requires big bold solutions, and tonight Jay Inslee showed the leadership that is necessary to confront this challenge. And his policy plans - like a national Green Bank and a Universal Clean Energy Service Fund - present a transformative vision for job creation building America's clean energy economy."

Anthony Rogers-Wright, Climate Activist
"It's simply feckless to refer to climate change as a single issue. Gov Inslee's suite of climate action plans prove that the climate crisis is a crisis of myriad forms of injustice, racial, economic, housing and transit. There was one Democrat on stage making that point tonight and he's from the Washington in the Upper Left, not the one drowning in inaction and lip service just south of Maryland."

Jeff Hauser, Center for Economic and Policy Research
I admire @JayInslee immensely.

Nicholas Kristof, New York Times
Good for @JayInslee for emphasizing the importance of mental health (although Obamacare also did this). We have a mental health crisis in the US, with the highest suicide rates since the 1940s.

Sunrise Action
Inslee coming out with a bang

"Middle ground approaches are not enough. We must confront the fossil fuel industry" -@JayInslee

Black Lives Matter
Good job calling Trump a White-nationalist @JayInslee...about as close as we will get to the White-supremacist title that he deserves. #DemDebate2 #DemDebate #DemocraticDebate2020 #BlackLivesMatter #whatmattersin2020

J-L Cauvin, Host, TrumpPod
GREAT ANSWER (and way to assert yourself) GOVERNOR INSLEE - I hope people are listening
- banned the box
- pardoned non-violent drug offenders
- better training in place for law enforcement
#DemDebate #DemocraticDebate2020 #DemDebates #DemDebate2

Jamil Smith, Rolling Stone
We cannot tolerate a white nationalist in the @WhiteHouse. I thank @JayInslee for being the first on the Democratic debate stage tonight to give voice, directly, to what needed to be said.

Gary Grumbach, NBC News
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is the first candidate to mention mental health care in this medicare for all health care debate tonight.

Colin Seeberger, Center for American Progress
.@CoryBooker won the first 45 min block.

@JayInslee winning the second 45 min block.

#DemDebates

Alexandra Petri, Washington Post
Inslee has stood up against the flames of war in the past and will stand up against the drums of war in the present

Miranda Green, The Hill
Out of all the Democratic candidates on stage during night #2. @JayInslee was the only candidate to mention climate change in his opening statement.

Dave Jamieson, HuffPost
Inslee also happens to have put out a very detailed plan for labor law reform. @ezraklein put it well when he said the guy has the worst popularity-to-policy ratio in the field

Jacob Bernstein, New York Times
Inslee just had a really good moment. Acknowledge what you don't know rather than lying about it. He brought empathy, and there's been very little of that since Booker changed course…

Sarah Gray, Business Insider
I respect Inslee for running on climate change and pushing this issue to center stage.

Zach Carter, HuffPost
The difference between Jay Inslee and all of the other candidates you have never heard of is that Inslee is running to elevate a specific issue -- climate change -- and has put forward an excellent climate platform. #DemDebate

Amy Westervelt, Host, Drilled Podcast
Okay @jayinslee Best thing I've heard on climate in these debates: "Survival is realistic." BOOM

Michael Skolnik, Civil Rights Activist
Jay Inslee is impressive on the issue of the climate crisis. His ideas are needed in this conversation. #DemDebate

Lisa Bloom, NYT Bestselling Author
Thank God for @JayInslee, the only one with appropriate urgency about #ClimateCrisis.

Emily Atkin, New Republic
@JayInslee just became the first presidential candidate to ever dedicate an entire debate opening statement to climate change

Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, Teen Vogue
Religion highlight of tonight's #DemDebate: @JayInslee brought up his state's leadeship opposing the Muslim ban for the second debate in a row. It's clear he's made defending our nation's commitment to religious freedom for all a marquee issue along with climate change.

Nikhil Goyal, Educator and Organizer
Lot of respect for Inslee and his campaign

Jamie Weinstein, Radio Host and Author
Jay Inslee deserves credit for intellectual consistency, even if you disagree with him. If you really think the world as we know it is going to end if we don't solve climate change in the next decade, it should be the only issue you focus on.

Heather Whaley, Actress
I feel like Jay Inslee is my chance to maybe have grandchildren that won't be fighting in the Water Wars. #DemocraticDebate2020

Sheril Kirshenbaum, Executive Director, Climate Debate
My picks for #DemDebate winners tonight:

@JayInslee
gave a strong performance, esp on #climatechange

@AndrewYang
had a good night, distinguished himself

#Climatechange bc the time & detail it got is truly astounding compared w previous cycles

SEIU Local 925
Developing union jobs mentioned in @GovInslee's opening statement. We hope to hear more conversation like this! #DemDebate #UnionsForAll

Wajahat Ali, New York Times
Muslim Ban, y'all remember that? I haven't forgotten. Thank you, Jay Inslee. #DemDebate2

Kai Newkirk, Founder, Democracy Spring
Thank you @JayInslee for relentlessly making the climate crisis the top priority of your campaign. It is the over-arching emergency of our time. His climate plan is still the best in the field, and we need Bernie and Warren to match and better it.

Kiley Kroh, Communications, Rocky Mountain Institute
How about next we go down the line and ask each candidate to compare their comprehensive climate plan to Inslee's

Andrew Winston, Environmental Author
This is why I want Gov Inslee in this race as long as possible. He's the only one who gets that climate is the lens on all issues.

Maria Shriver, Author
Good that @GovInslee brings up mental health, says there's no reason to distinguish between physical health and mental health

Karen Tumlin, Civil Rights Attorney
Mic drop @JayInslee: we can no longer allow a white supremacist to be in the White House. (Someone needed to say it.)

Mike Gravel, 2020 Presidential Candidate
Jay Inslee is doing a great job, and his presence is really beneficial for the race. Keep on pushing, Jay!

Ezra Klein, Vox
Inslee is right. If you don't eliminate the filibuster, virtually none of these issue differences being debated matter. It's the threshold question.

Charlotte Clymer, Human Rights Campaign
I believe Jay Inslee is the first candidate to say "LGBTQ" tonight, 90 minutes into the debate.

Climate Justice Alliance
Thank you @JayInslee for coming out this morning to #Visit48217, for listening to the #FrontlineDetroit voices in the most polluted ZIP code in Michigan, & for raising up #EnvironmentalJustice in the #DemocraticDebate just now! We need a #JustTransition for a #RegenerativeEconomy