Inslee first ran for governor in 1996 and was eventually elected in 2012. He was later reelected by Washington voters in 2016 and 2020, making him the current longest-serving governor in the United States and the first to win three gubernatorial terms since the late Dan Evans. Before becoming governor, he served in the state Legislature from 1989 to 1993. 

The state’s two-year operating budget was roughly $38 billion when Inslee took office in 2013. Since then the budget has increased to $75.5 billion, though it is facing a multibillion deficit for the 2025-2027 biennium despite record revenue levels.

During his State of the State address, Inslee acknowledged that “our economy is not in decline, unlike the Great Recession, our economy is doing as well as it ever has. This budget situation is both one we’ve seen before and something entirely unique.”

Reiterating arguments made while unveiling his budget proposal last month, Inslee cited the various ways the state has increased spending in homelessness, mental health, K-12 education, and public healthcare since the Great Recession, where the Legislature reduced spending by $11 billion.

Those cuts, Inslee said, led to long-term problems that the state still faces and will continue to face if spending is reduced. Although his budget does reduce or delay some spending, it covers the budget shortfall via a wealth tax, which he said is “asking those who have benefited the most from Washington’s booming economy to play more of a role protecting behavioral health, early learning and education.”

“Our economy provides more than enough to some, but our regressive tax system is unfair to most working families and jeopardizes our continued progress on the systems that Washingtonians depend on for those who weren’t here during the Great Recession,” he said. “This Legislature has a lot of hard work ahead. You have the grit and the vision to keep up this pace of progress.”

Referencing the defeat of several anti-tax initiatives in November, Inslee said the Legislature had a “has a clear mandate to continue its progress” in areas such as the electrification of the state’s transportation sector, an effort heavily dependent on revenue generated by the state’s cap-and-trade program.

“We are building a clean energy economy that is the ending entire nation thanks to this,” Inslee said, though some have argued that Washington has some of the fewest green energy sector jobs.

Reflecting on Inslee’s three-terms in office, the House Republicans argued in a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, that, despite the increased spending, since he was elected the state has declined on numerous fronts, including student academic performance, crime rates, drug overdose deaths, and housing affordability.

“Despite all these challenges, House Republicans are committed to offering real solutions for lower costs, safer streets, better schools, a stronger economy, smarter government, and a cleaner Washington,” they wrote on X.