No second thoughts from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Thursday after he called supporters of his opponent, “Trumpians” during Wednesday night’s debate.
Candidates were in separate rooms because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the split screen put Inslee, a two-term Democratic governor, on equal footing with Loren Culp, a Republican small-town police chief.
Alex Hays, a Republican political consultant, said, “Well, ... people might expect me to say this, but Loren Culp did win (the debate). And I did not anticipate that going into the debate.”
The candidates divide sharply on their approach to the pandemic. Inslee mandates mask use. Culp is known for holding large rallies where very few supporters bother to wear masks.
“I’m not running to be the leader of you,” Culp said. “I’m not running to be the leader of everyone’s family.”
Inslee defends his orders restricting social contact and requiring masks. “There have been 210,000 people dead in our country—2,000 in the state of Washington—and our fundamental duty is to save those lives,” he said.
Polls show President Donald Trump is unpopular in Washington, so Inslee ties Culp to Trump when it comes to the pandemic.
“They have very different views on that. And one being more relaxed certainly lends to a comparison with Donald Trump,” said Crystal Fincher, a Democratic political consultant.
"He hasn’t been willing to show leadership, which is modeling the behavior. Going around to rallies. It’s too dangerous to have a mini-Trump right now and that’s what’s at risk.
Culp seized on a perceived insult, “What did he call us, called people that come to my rallies, Trumpians? Is that the new ‘deplorables,’ governor?”
At Thursday’s news conference, Inslee said he had no second thoughts about the comment.
“They trumpet the fact that they support Donald Trump, so I don’t understand why they are not proud of that.”
“If more people would watch that debate, Loren Culp would go up in the polls by a lot. Enough to win? I don’t know,” said Bond.
But Fischer said, “I think Jay Inslee won simply for the fact that there was no game changer in the debate, and Culp really needed to have a crystallizing moment or something major (happen) because he’s currently pretty significantly behind in the polls.”
Cox Media Group
