On Monday afternoon in the Everglades, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington was on a boat, using his phone to take a photo of an alligator. He was on his way to unveil his latest 2020 campaign initiative: a plan to completely end America’s use of fossil fuels—very on-brand for the Democratic candidate who’s all about climate change. Come Wednesday night, when he takes the stage for the first Democratic debates in Miami, Inslee will try to expand that brand.
Running as the Climate Guy helped Inslee make a splash in a primary field crowded with almost every type of Democrat. He picked a losing fight with the Democratic National Committee over its refusal to host a climate-change-only debate, a fight that has helped him win attention among environmentalists and stick-it-to-the-man enthusiasts alike. But Inslee knows that for as much as primary voters say they care about climate change, he’d probably have trouble getting them to support a single-issue presidential nominee, particularly in a field as diverse as this one.
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So the Climate Guy knows it’s time to branch out. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is the only top-polling candidate who’ll be onstage with Inslee Wednesday night, and his campaign believes he has an opportunity to stand out, one that he wouldn’t were he sharing the stage with former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Senator Kamala Harris of California, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who are all slated for Thursday night’s debate.