Washington (CNN) Washington Gov. Jay Inslee knows about political wave elections: He was wiped out by a Republican wave as a three-term House member in 1994.

Now, citing President Donald Trump's unpopularity, he's confidently predicting an even bigger Democratic landslide in the 2018 midterm elections. Inslee projected that Democrats would reverse the 2010 and 2014 losses that left them with just 15 governor's offices.

"You cannot overstate the fact that the Republicans are going to be trying to carry around someone that independents revile," Inslee said in an interview.

"You saw in Virginia that they can run from that stench but they can't hide," he said. "If they embrace him, they're in trouble. If they run from him, they're in trouble. There's no way out for them."

Inslee is taking over Monday as the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association ahead of a 2018 election cycle in which 36 governor's offices are on the ballot -- including 26 currently held by Republicans.

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