Inslee pushes DNC for climate-focused debate

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) sent a letter to Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez on Tuesday urging the party to “ensure that the climate crisis is on the agenda.”

Inslee, a long-shot candidate, told Perez the issue requires a “full debate” to determine which candidate can best solve the “existential crisis” of climate change.

“The Democratic Party’s response to climate change cannot only be a few quick questions in the first debates where, in 60 seconds, candidates merely agree that this issue is important, and move on,” Inslee wrote.{mosads}

“We need a full debate to really wrestle with who has the best plans to defeat this existential crisis, who has demonstrated the commitment it will take to get this job done, and who understands the scale of ambition necessary to see this mission through to completion,” he added.

Inslee first circulated a petition calling for a climate debate in April; other candidates have since followed suit.

Fellow candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) echoed that call, and a trio of senators wrote NBC to ask for debate centered on climate change.  

The Sierra Club, Credo, MoveOn and other environmental groups have also called for a debate with that singular focus.

Inslee aims to make climate change a defining policy issue, centering his campaign around the dangers of global warming as he looks to set himself apart in a crowded Democratic primary field.