State teacher's union endorses Inslee for governor

The Washington Education Association endorsed U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee for governor after interviewing him on Saturday. Inslee's opponent, state Attorney General Rob McKenna, opted out of the interview process late Friday because he felt the teacher's union already had made up its mind to back Inslee.

"Yesterday it became very clear that the WEA was setting it up to celebrate the endorsement of Congressman Inslee Day," said Randy Pepple, McKenna's campaign manager.

Inslee's campaign spokesman was critical of McKenna's decision Friday night and issued a statement that said, in part: "McKenna has cynically proposed education initiatives that sound great, but that he knows he can't fund - and he won't face the very people who know his political talking points don't meet economic reality."

McKenna supports charter schools and other education reforms that are opposed by the WEA.

Inslee, whose father was a high school teacher, said in a statement: "Our economic future starts in today's classrooms where our teachers spend hours every day preparing our children to be the great leaders, thinkers and builders of tomorrow."

The teacher's union represents more than 83,000 teachers and school staff across Washington state.

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