Washington GOP creates Inslee campaign cost tracker

As Gov. Jay Inslee crisscrosses the country spreading his message of climate change to the 0.3 percent of those polled who support him, critics are wondering what it’s costing taxpayers in Washington. The Republican Party has actually started to keep tabs with an online Inslee tracker.

Washington State GOP Chairman Caleb Heimlich joined the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH to discuss InsleesEgoTrip.com, a new tool tracking all the money going into Inslee’s presidential campaign.

RELATED: Jay Inslee ‘surges’ to 0.3 percent in polls as he attacks Beto O’Rourke on climate

“The bottom line is the taxpayers are on the hook for $4.2 million over the next year and a half to cover security costs, as Governor Inslee is embarking on his vanity run traveling across the United States.”

“We’re calling on Governor Inslee to do the right thing and reimburse the taxpayers with some of his campaign funds. That’s been done before; Scott Walker did it in Wisconsin.”

On the site, an animated Inslee sits on a plane and bounces across the country with a wad of cash in his hand. It tracks the escalating campaign costs and his travel timeline, before asking the public to sign a petition asking Inslee to pay back the costs, which Heimlich says will be hand-delivered to the governor’s office.

“It’s not right that hardworking citizens in Puyallup and across the state are paying sales taxes, are paying property taxes, and that money is going to subsidize Jay Inslee’s presidential run — that, as you said — he’s still polling at 0 percent,” said Heimlich.

RELATED: Inslee polling behind ‘someone else’ but raises $2.25 million

“Hold on, hold on,” Jason cut in. “We have to give him his due; he has surged to 0.3 percent. Come on, we gotta be fair.”

“Alright, I rounded down,” joked Heimlich. “But he’s still polling below ‘Someone else’ and less than one percent.”

Despite the low poll numbers, the Inslee campaign is boasting that its fundraising effort is outpacing other Democratic presidential hopefuls, taking in $2.25 million in its first month.

“For him it’s his ego trip,” Heimlich said. “I don’t know what he’s running for; I don’t know if he thinks he’s going to get a high paying job as the head of an environmental nonprofit or something like that.”

“We the taxpayers of Washington state should not be subsidizing it, we shouldn’t be paying for the security as he’s traveling the country. He wants to do that, he should do it on his own dime.”

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