Jay Inslee, Bill Bryant face off in second gubernatorial debate

Gov. Jay Inslee and his Republican opponent Bill Bryant sparred over education, taxes and government oversight in their second debate.

At Seattle University Monday night Bryant repeatedly rapped the incumbent Democrat, saying he had mismanaged state departments, especially the state’s mental health system. He also said Inslee had failed to come up with a plan to fund K-12 education, as mandated by the state Supreme Court, which “means he is a failed governor.”

Bryant argued that Inslee has failed across multiple areas of Washington life, listing off state woes and tying them to the Democrat.

Four years ago, Governor Inslee promised an education plan – no excuses. Four years later, we still have no education plan. He’s failed. Jay Inslee has also failed at running the state agencies to care for the most vulnerable in our midst. Our foster care system is a mess. Homelessness is skyrocketing. And it’s because of his mismanagement of our state hospitals and prisons, that patients have died – that felons, rapists and murderers have escaped. And sexual offenders and felons have been released early. It’s because of his bungling of the department of transportation that we are all stuck in traffic, emitting carbon.

To fix education homelessness traffic requires making government better, not bigger.

Inslee countered by saying he offers a “can-do, optimistic, positive vision for the state,” and argued that Bryant offers a bleak outlook.

Inslee said that the state has invested $5.5 billion in public education, that “significant strides” have been made to increase pay for teachers and increase access to kindergarten. He said Washington is a “confident and optimistic state.”

We have made large, significant strides in education. Big investments in early childhood education. I am proud that as governor, for the very first time, every child is going to have access to full-day kindergarten. I’m glad we have better mentoring and better paid teachers. I’m glad Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass tuition cuts – I’m the only governor in the country who can say we’ve cut tuition …

We have created 250,000 jobs since I have been governor. Small businesses have had the most rapid job creation of any state in the United States. Unemployment is down in every county. Business Insider magazine says we have the number 1 economy in the United States. And transportation, which needs an injection of infrastructure, has gotten it since I’ve been governor … I’m glad we’ve passed the largest transportation package in the history of the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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