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Inslee rallies with young climate activists in Vegas

Climate change is theme of Washington governor's presidential campaign

By MICHELLE L. PRICE, Associated Press
Published: May 24, 2019, 6:13pm
4 Photos
Democratic Presidential candidate Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, center, meets with students at a climate change rally Friday, May 24, 2019, in Las Vegas.
Democratic Presidential candidate Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, center, meets with students at a climate change rally Friday, May 24, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) Photo Gallery

LAS VEGAS — Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee on Friday praised young people rallying for action on climate change as he joined a Las Vegas demonstration on a day of climate rallies around the world.

The Washington governor, who has staked his 2020 bid for the White House on a climate change-focused message, said Friday that young people are “posing a moral obligation” on older Americans to tackle a warming planet.

The 68-year-old also announced he’d earned enough campaign donations to appear in the Democratic presidential debates starting next month.

“We can now tell you that because I will be on the stage in the debates in June, climate change will be on the debates in June,” Inslee told a crowd of about 100 people, mostly students and young people, in the city’s downtown.

Inslee meets debate marks

Gov. Jay Inslee is the 13th Democratic candidate to “double qualify” for the debate by hitting both the donor and polling thresholds set by the Democratic National Committee, Politico reported. That includes better-known contenders such as former Vice President Joe Biden, and Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

It also includes Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, self-help author Marianne Williamson and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

The first debate round will take place in Miami on June 26 and 27, with up to 20 candidates randomly divided into two groups, half appearing each night. A second debate is scheduled for July.

— The Seattle Times

 

The Democratic National Committee has said it will allow 20 candidates to reach the stage by either meeting a 65,000-person donor threshold or by receiving at least 1 percent support in three reputable national or early nominating state polls. With 23 Democrats in the race and the possibility that more than 20 qualify, the DNC is expected to give preference to those that meet both thresholds and further winnow the field by using candidates’ polling averages.

Inslee said he’s not worried about meeting any additional criteria put forward by the DNC, saying he’s had “a surge” of about 2,000 donors in the last few days. He twice noted that freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a sought-after and influential voice on the left, had recently praised his $9 trillion-plus climate action plan released last week.

Inslee planned to meet later Friday with members of the Service Employees International Union regarding their push to wage the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

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