COVID-19 is at the heart of WA governor’s race. This candidate gets our support | Editorial
We know there are many Tri-Citians who are not happy with Gov. Jay Inslee.
They think he’s abused his emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that his decision to keep schools and businesses closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus went too far.
We sympathize with those whose livelihoods have suffered, and for all those who couldn’t have the big weddings and other important celebrations they had been planning because large gatherings have been banned.
We get it.
But in the 2020 race for governor, the choice is clear — Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee should be returned for another term.
His opponent, Republican Loren Culp, does not have the experience to run the state. He has served in the Army, built up his own construction business and is now the lone law enforcement officer in the small town of Republic.
He has never held a public office. If he were elected governor, he very quickly would find himself in over his head.
Culp and Inslee spoke to us virtually in separate meetings with our sister newspapers, The News Tribune and The Olympian. Culp is sincere in his beliefs that people should be able to live their lives without government interference, and that’s a message we know resonates with many Tri-Citians.
But Inslee was right to clamp down hard on social activities in order to prevent the coronavirus from getting out of control.
When we asked which governor Culp thought got it right, he suggested the governor of South Dakota.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been more relaxed about COVID-19. The state has remained open, and masks have not been required.
And now North and South Dakota have the largest COVID-19 outbreaks per capita in the country.
If Culp’s words were put into action the virus surely would have taken over the state, and Washington citizens would be in greater danger than they are now.
Inslee made the call to make saving lives his top priority, and he hasn’t backed down from that stance. It was the right decision.
The Tri-Cities recently was allowed to move from a modified Phase 1 to a Phase 2, which shows Inslee has been watching the community and has been willing to adjust his restrictions. He may not have moved us along as quickly as we would have liked, but we understand the caution.
We have criticized Inslee for not calling the Legislature back so that our representative lawmakers could take care of the budget before next January. We’ve also been at odds with Inslee over the future of the Snake River dams, and with his support for a carbon tax.
But we believe his handling of the pandemic has been thoughtful, careful and courageous.
As a side note, this will be the first time we have recommended Inslee for governor. In 2012 we backed Republican Rob McKenna and in 2016 we supported Republican Bill Bryant.
But Culp is no McKenna, and he’s no Bryant.
He is a man who says things many people want to hear.
His way of handling COVID-19 would have cost the state many additional lives, and we cannot support his let-everyone-make-their-own-decisions attitude when public health is in crisis.
The Tri-City Herald Recommends Democrat Jay Inslee for Governor.
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM.