Jay Robert Inslee (born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, currently serving as U.S. Representative from Washington's 1st congressional district (north of Seattle, including parts of King, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties). He is a Democrat. Inslee lives on Bainbridge Island. He married his wife Trudi on August 27, 1972.
Born in Seattle, Washington, he graduated from Seattle's Ingraham High School and the University of Washington (B.A., Economics) and Willamette University College of Law. After a decade working as an attorney in Selah, Washington, Inslee was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1988, where he served until 1992. He was then elected to Congress representing Washington's 4th congressional district (central Washington). He lost his bid for re-election in the Republican Revolution of 1994 (to Doc Hastings), a defeat often attributed in large part to his vote in favor of a 1994 ban on semi-automatic firearms.
Inslee moved back to western Washington and briefly resumed the practice of law before running for governor in 1996 and losing in the Democratic primary to Gary Locke. President Bill Clinton subsequently appointed him regional director for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, a position he shortly left to again run for Congress in 1998, this time in the 1st congressional district against two-term incumbent Rick White. His campaign attracted national attention when he became the first Democratic candidate to air television ads attacking his opponent, and the Republican congressional leadership, for the impeachment of President Clinton. He narrowly won, with 49.8% to White's 44.1%, aided by the presence of a religious right third party candidate, Bruce Craswell (the husband of 1996 GOP gubernatorial nominee Ellen Craswell).
Though Washington's first district is historically a swing district (changing hands three times in the 1990s), the growing Democratic trend west of the Cascades has enabled Inslee to strengthen his hold on the district. He has been reelected with a higher percentage of the vote in each of his races: 54.6% in 2000, 55.6% in 2002, 62.3% in 2004, and 67.7% in 2006. In July 2003, after then-Governor Gary Locke announced his retirement, Inslee briefly flirted with a gubernatorial bid before deciding to remain in Congress. An anti-Inslee campaign slogan, "Inslee is Outslee" was used briefly in 2002, but it did not catch on with more mainstream voters.
Though a member of the Clintonian New Democrat Coalition,[1] Inslee has accumulated a progressive voting record, and has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq. He sits on the Resources Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee. He has been a supporter of the Apollo Alliance.
On July 31, 2007, Inslee introduced legislation that called for an inquiry to determine whether former United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should be impeached. Gonzales eventually resigned.[2]
Elections
| Date |
Position |
Status |
Opponent |
Result |
Vote share |
Opponent vote share |
| 1988 |
WA Representative |
|
|
Elected |
|
|
| 1990 |
WA Representative |
Incumbent |
|
Re-elected |
|
|
| 1992 |
U.S. Representative |
Open seat |
Doc Hastings (R) |
Elected |
51% |
49% |
| 1994 |
U.S. Representative |
Incumbent |
Doc Hastings (R) |
Defeated |
47% |
53% |
| 1996 |
WA Governor |
Open seat primary |
Gary Locke (D), others |
Defeated |
|
|
| 1998 |
U.S. Representative |
Challenger |
Rick White (R) |
Elected |
50% |
44% |
| 2000 |
U.S. Representative |
Incumbent |
Dan McDonald (R) |
Re-elected |
55% |
43% |
| 2002 |
U.S. Representative |
Incumbent |
Joe Marine (R) |
Re-elected |
56% |
41% |
| 2004 |
U.S. Representative |
Incumbent |
Randy Eastwood (R) |
Re-elected |
62% |
36% |
| 2006 |
U.S. Representative |
Incumbent |
Larry W. Ishmael (R) |
Re-elected |
68% |
32% |
References
- ^ New Democrat Coalition membership
- ^ Associated Press, Bill calls for Gonzales impeachment inquiry, Los Angeles Times, August 1, 2007
External links
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