Inslee has formed a PAC and has told donors he plans to travel to Iowa and New Hampshire.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has formed a federal political action committee and started soliciting contributions, signaling an important next step as he decides whether to run for president in 2020, the public radio Northwest News Network and The Seattle Times have learned. The political action committee (PAC), called Vision PAC, was quietly registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on October 4 by Inslee's Washington state campaign treasurer Philip Lloyd. The existence of the PAC and its connection to Inslee have not been previously reported. So far, the PAC has reported a single $5,000 contribution from Yakima attorney Blaine Tamaki, a major Inslee supporter who the governor appointed to the University of Washington Board of Regents in 2017. Tamaki did not immediately return a call for comment. Another longtime Inslee donor and supporter, Janet Pauli of Bainbridge Island, said she and her husband Bill recently pledged $10,000 to Inslee's federal PAC after he personally called to request their support. "I told him yes," Pauli said. "I am excited about it."

Pauli said that during her lengthy conversation with Inslee, he mentioned using the money he raises to make trips to states like Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which hold the earliest presidential primary and caucus contests. "There was excitement in his voice," Pauli said. "You know, I think he is really curious as to whether or not he can pursue this." Inslee's federal fundraising effort offers the most concrete evidence to date that the two-term Democrat, who is concluding his one-year term as chair of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), is seriously considering a bid for president following months of speculation. Inslee campaign spokesman Jamal Raad said Friday that Vision PAC would be used by Inslee "to house his political activities that aren't directly related to his reelection" as governor. But Raad said Inslee "has not made up his mind" about running for president and "has no current plans to travel at this time" to early voting states. Still, a Seattle-based Democratic consultant who asked not to be identified said the early signs suggest Inslee is a likely candidate for president.

"It's clear at a minimum that he's considering it extremely seriously," the consultant said. According to the FEC, potential candidates for president are allowed to raise money for purposes of "testing the waters" without formally registering as a candidate or forming a campaign committee. Pauli, the donor, said she believes Inslee has what it takes to be president. "I would absolutely trust our country in Jay's hands," she said. But she said she's also willing to financially support him as a candidate even if he doesn't have the horsepower to win, because it could open other doors, like a cabinet position in a future Democratic administration. "It could catapult [Inslee] to a higher level national position, and that is exciting to me because I think he has a lot to offer," Pauli said.

In interviews in recent weeks, Inslee has inched closer to confirming he is a likely candidate for president. "I have not ruled that out, as you know," he told The Seattle Times after the November election. In October, Inslee told Politico.com that the Democratic Party should "produce a candidate who's going to really be committed to climate change and defeating climate change and creating a clean energy economic message and clean energy jobs." Combating climate change and sparking a clean energy economy are signature issues for Inslee who published a book on the topic in 2007 when he was in the U.S. House. There have been other signs since the election that Inslee is actively exploring a possible presidential run. Earlier this week, he traveled to California to meet with unnamed political supporters. On that same trip, he made an unannounced visit to the fire-devastated town of Paradise. In a nighttime video posted to Twitter, Inslee stood in front of an acute care center that burned to the ground and called out President Donald Trump for his views on global warming.

"You can't stand here and say you don't believe in climate change," Inslee said in the video, which had more than 6,500 views as of Friday. This weekend Inslee is in New Orleans attending the DGA's annual meeting during which his successor will be elected. In the past year, as chair of the DGA, Inslee has raised his national profile significantly and emerged as an unrelenting critic of Trump. In February, Inslee made national headlines when he confronted the president at a White House meeting with governors over his plan to arm teachers. "We need a little less tweeting and a little more listening," Inslee told Trump at the time. Inslee has also been able to forge relationships with national donors as he traveled the country this year to raise money and campaign on behalf of Democratic candidates for governor.