Washington Rep. Inslee To Resign House Seat, Focus On Run For Governor WASHINGTON - Democratic officials say veteran Rep. Jay Inslee intends to resign from Congress to focus full time on running for governor of Washington state this fall. Inslee is in his eighth term representing a Seattle-area district in the House. Washington's Democratic governor, Christine Gregoire, is retiring at the end of her term, and Inslee has long been rumored as a Democratic contender to replace her. A special election is expected to be held to fill out the remainder of his term in the House. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting an announcement by Inslee. Inslee is among 22 Democratic members of the House who are not seeking re-election, along with 16 Republicans.