More than 50 members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are reportedly asking Chairman Tom Perez Thomas Edward PerezClinton’s top five vice presidential picks Government social programs: Triumph of hope over evidence Labor’s 'wasteful spending and mismanagement” at Workers’ Comp MORE to hold a presidential debate on climate change after the governing body rejected repeated requests from Democratic presidential hopeful and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Jay Robert InsleeBarr asked prosecutors to explore charging Seattle mayor over protest zone: report Bottom line Oregon senator says Trump's blame on 'forest management' for wildfires is 'just a big and devastating lie' MORE to host one.

According to HuffPost, the petition's signatories plan to collect more signatures before submitting the resolution for official consideration at a DNC meeting later this month.

The outlet notes that Perez can reject the request, which aims to put pressure on the DNC over the issue.

ADVERTISEMENT

"The first several DNC Presidential Debates should be focused on Climate Change issues and solutions," the resolution says, according to HuffPost. The letter also calls for Democratic candidates to be permitted to debate climate change through other forums if the DNC chooses not to sponsor a debate.

The Hill has reached out to the DNC for comment.

The resolution comes after Inslee, a longshot presidential candidate who's focused his campaign on the issue of climate change, announced that the DNC had turned down his requests to host a climate-focused debate.

"Today, my team received a call from the Democratic National Committee letting us know that they will not host a climate debate. Further, they explained that if we participated in anyone else's climate debate, we will not be invited to future debates," Inslee said in a statement.

"This is deeply disappointing. The DNC is silencing the voices of Democratic activists, many of our progressive partner organizations, and nearly half of the Democratic presidential field, who want to debate the existential crisis of our time. Democratic voters say that climate change is their top issue; the Democratic National Committee must listen to the grassroots of the party," Inslee added.

Progressive groups like Daily Kos, the Sunrise Movement and MoveOn have all joined Inslee in calling for the debate, as did fellow 2020 candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenDimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' CNN's Don Lemon: 'Blow up the entire system' remark taken out of context Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court MORE (D-Mass.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas).

“Our generation’s survival is at stake. It’s time for the DNC to act like it and host a climate debate,” the Sunrise Movement tweeted.

“Gov. Inslee is exactly right. Climate change is the biggest challenge we face. Every candidate running for president should have a serious set of policies to address it, and should be eager to defend those proposals in a debate,” Warren wrote on Twitter.



Inslee later called on the rest of the Democratic field to join in the calls.

According to HuffPost, the signers collectively make up more than 10 percent of the DNC's voting membership. Signatories include the chairpersons of state parties in California, Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming, Oregon, New Mexico, Vermont, Utah, Idaho, Maine, Montana and Nebraska, the outlet reported.

California Democratic National Committee member Christine Pelosi, the daughter of Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (D-Calif.), has signed the resolution, according to HuffPost.