Inslee Campaign Press Release - Jay Inslee Reaches 65,000 Donor Threshold for Debates

At Sunrise Movement and Global Youth Climate Strike in Las Vegas on Friday, Inslee announces he has met both donor and polling criteria

Spurred by momentum off policy announcements, Inslee reaches 65,000 donors

Las Vegas – Today, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that he has met the 65,000 unique donor threshold to appear in the Democratic presidential debates. Inslee made the announcement at a Sunrise Movement and Global Youth Climate Strike event in Las Vegas, after reaching the 65,000 mark this morning.

Inslee had already received 200 donations from 20 states and hit 1% or higher in three qualifying polls. He has now met all criteria for participation in the debates in June and July.

"There's some good news to share with you about this global mission. Today, my staff called me, and said that my campaign for the presidency has just received 65,000 unique donors to our campaign," Inslee said today, speaking to students and youth striking for action on climate in Las Vegas. "So we can now tell you that because I will be on the stage on the debates in June, climate change will be on the debates in June, the Sunrise Movement will be on the debates in June, and the climate strikers are going to be on the debate stage in June."

Inslee reached 65,000 donations in 84 days - a faster clip than several U.S. Senators with larger email lists. Inslee's success was fueled by a surge in donations over the past three weeks, following the release of his detailed plans to combat climate change and build a clean energy economy. Inslee's rate of donors increased by more than 35% since he released his first climate plan on May 3.

"This is a sign of the momentum behind Jay Inslee's campaign to put climate first with a bold plan to tackle our climate crisis," said Inslee campaign manager Aisling Kerins. "Our team has seen a strong policy bump that helped us achieve this donation goal. Voters want a candidate with ambitious and detailed plans to build a clean energy economy - and that's exactly what Jay Inslee is providing. We look forward to bringing that message to the debate stage."

Inslee has also called for a debate centered only on climate change, along with grassroots groups like Greenpeace, 350 Action, Youth Climate Strike, the Sunrise Movement, and Climate Hawks Vote.

Inslee, who is the only presidential candidate who has made defeating climate change and building a clean energy economy the cornerstone of his campaign, has been making stops to speak with voters across the country as part of his "Climate Mission Tour." He recently announced his "100% Clean Energy for America" and "Evergreen Economy" plans, and since launching his campaign in March, has visited Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, Texas, California, New York, Oregon and Connecticut.