Another Democrat entered the already crowded field of 2020 Presidential candidates. Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced he would focus on climate change to stand out from that crowd. Inslee tweeted “Just spitballing here, but perhaps saving people and the planet from climate catastrophe, and creating millions of jobs doing it, should be the TOP issue.”
Inslee is the first Governor to enter a race dominated by Senators, and a sharp focus on one issue may help him with so called “single issue voters.” He went on to say “Climate change isn’t more important then health care. It IS health care.”
A handful of the 2020 Democratic candidates, including Inslee, have embraced what’s called “The Green New Deal,” a detailed plan to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. Inslee joins a field of much better-known candidates, notably Bernie Sanders, who has raised far more money than his opponents and has higher name recognition thanks to his strong run against Hillary Clinton in 2016.
A new poll of New Hampshire voters conducted by the University of New Hampshire shows 26% of voters in the Granite state prefer Sanders.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not declared whether he will run for the nomination, finishes second at 22%.
California Senator Kamala Harris is third at 10%, followed by Senator Elizabeth Warren at 7%.
Another undeclared candidate, former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke got 5%, despite not having officially joined the race. O’Rourke ran a strong race for U.S. Senate against Ted Cruz, losing by three percent in a deeply red state.
The New Hampshire Primary is less than a year away and by the time it rolls around the Democrats may have the most candidates in party history.