Inslee: DNC says no to climate debate



Governor Jay Inslee’s call for the Democratic National Committee to hold a climate debate has been answered – and the answer is no.

Inslee’s campaign said Wednesday that the DNC not only rejected his idea to hold a 2020 presidential debate centered around climate change, but said any candidate who participates in a non-DNC debate will be barred from the sanctioned ones.

The DNC opted not to hold a debate on a single issue, the campaign said.

“Today, I am calling on my fellow presidential candidates to urge the DNC to reconsider its position on a climate debate,” Inslee wrote in a statement. “Together, we can speak to the DNC with a loud voice: We need a full-length debate on the climate crisis.”

Since the DNC’s decision, other Democratic presidential candidates have indeed spoken out.

 “Gov. Inslee is exactly right,” Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on twitter. “Climate change is the biggest challenge we face. Every candidate running for president should have a serious set of policies to address it, and should be eager to defend those proposals in a debate.”



 

Governor Inslee, who launched his campaign with climate change as the key platform, didn’t waste time turning the DNC’s rejection into a fundraising opportunity.

“Make sure climate gets the attention it deserves on stage,” Inslee wrote on Twitter, linking to his campaign page with a note urging visitors to “chip in.”



While the DNC is unlikely to reconsider its decision, Inslee has met the threshold necessary to participate in the first official DNC debate, which will take place June 26 and 27 in Miami, Florida.

It is unclear which day Inslee will take the stage, as the debate will be separated into two nights due to the number of qualifying candidates.