Will Jay Inslee run for president?

With the big midterm election just weeks away, is Washington Governor Jay Inslee warming up to the idea of making a run for the presidency in 2020?

Joni Balter of the Seattle Channel and Q13 political analyst C.R. Douglas joined KUOW’s Angela King to analyze Inslee’s chances.

King: Inslee recently told Politico he's not ruling out running -- the same response he gave to CNN's Don Lemon the other night. Can you hint at running this much and not run?

Balter: I will agree that Jay Inslee has become the Hint-o-matic 5000 here, but he's really positioning himself for a decision to be made in 2019. This started as an almost playful run for climate czar -- you run for president but then you decide, “you know look what I really wanted to do was be the climate czar.” But from what I'm hearing he is getting more serious every day as he has tried this on.

King: So, C.J., what kind of chance does Inslee have at the Democratic nomination?

Douglas: Well it's a long shot, but it's more plausible than a lot of people think. And that's because history is on his side as a governor. If you look back since Carter, four presidents have been governors and only one has been a senator. And the reason is pretty clear. If you are a governor, you are in charge of a big state operation where you can build a track record in things like housing and transportation and jobs and health care all the rest. If you're a senator, you're one of a hundred working on legislation and then you got to work with 435 members of the House. So it's just easier to run and create a track record if you've been a governor.

King: So how would Governor Inslee get past some of the other potential contenders?

Balter: From the poll I saw in Iowa -- there's only one out -- Joe Biden is the person you have to beat. So what does Jay Inslee have that Joe Biden doesn't? One thing he has is an age advantage. Now this is going to be an older field. Donald Trump will be 74. Joe Biden will be 78. Jay Inslee will be 69 -- a mere pup compared to some of these folks. The other thing he brings in -- this is more in comparison to some of the senators than Joe Biden right now -- the senators seem a little grumpy because they're in opposition. He's the upbeat guy. He's got a 21st century message about climate. He's part of -- he will say led -- a boom here. And even though he didn't have that much to do with the actual engine of this, which is Amazon, he gets to claim credit for it. Just like other governors would do.

Douglas: You need to pick a lane. And I think Joni’s is right that the environment is really going to be his brand. However for that narrative to really be plausible I think he does need to win this carbon initiative that's on the ballot here in Washington. If he can't pull that off, it does really deflate the narrative that he's this big champion on the environment and this guy with a big track record in that. But this is a low probability chance he's got. A lot of people are going to be in this race. I think one big drawback is he's a 67-year-old white, straight guy. And those are all perfectly fine traits, but the new energy in the Democratic Party is clearly coming from women from minorities from the youth. He doesn't check those boxes.

Balter: Things would have to really line up nicely for him. He would have to emerge as a fresh face in D.C. who’s not of the swamp but can play in the swamp.

King: So, does he run?

Douglas: I think absolutely. This guy is more ambitious than people think. He ran twice for governor ran twice for Congress. He's been a campaigner and an ambitious guy all his career.

Balter: I say yes indeed because he has nothing to lose. He gets in there, he raises his profile, he becomes climate something, or he just has a rockin’ good time running with the rest of them.