DOYLE WON'T RUN IN 2010 - WHO WILL?

SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Gov. Jim Doyle on Monday morning confirmed he wouldn’t run for re-election next year and promised to serve out his full term.

Doyle’s announcement — widely expected since it was first reported Saturday — shakes up next year’s race, creating the first race for governor since 1982 that didn’t feature an incumbent.

Doyle committed to finishing out his term, which expires in January 2011. He said he felt strongly that politicians should serve their full terms.

If he had left office early, he would turn the reins over to Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and give her expected run for governor a boost. Doyle is not close to Lawton, and he declined to say Monday whom he might support in next year’s election.

Doyle said he would not run again because he believed governors should serve no more than two terms. Unlike many states, Wisconsin has no term limits.

Leaving after eight years allows the political system a chance to rejuvenate itself, he said.

“I know I will regret this decision many times over the next year, but I’m not going to pull a Brett Favre on you,” he said.

He said he would have an aggressive agenda over the next 16 months, focusing on education, green jobs, the economy and health care.

“I believe without the politics and the campaign we can get a lot done over time,” he said. “This moment in history will not be wasted.”

He said he made the decision not to run seven to 10 days ago and had no plans for what he would do after his term ends.

Doyle made the announcement at Randall Elementary School, where he went to grade school. Doyle has put education at the center of his agenda since winning the governorship in 2002.

Doyle, 63, was first elected to statewide office in 1990, when he was elected attorney general. He served three terms before going on to win the governor’s office for two terms. Before his stint as attorney general, he was district attorney in Dane County.

Doyle’s father was a federal judge, and his mother was one of the first women to serve in the state Legislature. He was introduced to Democratic politics early and was inspired by an early meeting with John F. Kennedy.

Doyle went onto law school and the Peace Corps before moving into politics.

He was a relatively early supporter of Barack Obama, and when Obama won the presidency last year observers wondered whether Doyle would get a job in the administration. He batted away those rumors, saying he wasn’t seeking any other job.

But when reports emerged Saturday that he would not seek re-election, Doyle’s aides did not deny them.

In addition to Lawton, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D–La Crosse) is expected to run. Others are contemplating a run as well.

The Republican field includes Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann and could widen now that Doyle isn’t seeking re-election.

Doyle said whether he could win re-election was not a consideration in his decision, despite his low poll numbers.

“I’ve never lost an election,” he said. “I think I know how to run an election. I think I would have done very well.”

Lawton in, Kind might be: Lawton is officially in the race for governor, and is considering it.

The announcements came moments after Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle made official that he would not seek a third term next year.

Lawton is running but is not conducting interviews, said Ben Nuckels, Lawton’s chief of staff.

“Today is Gov. Doyle’s day and the lieutenant governor wishes him well,” Nuckels said. “The lieutenant governor intends to run for governor, and she will have more to say about that in the near future.”

In a statement, Kind said: “Since Gov. Doyle’s decision has become public, people from around the state have contacted me and urged me to run for Governor. I thank them for their support and I am considering it. In the weeks to come I will make my decision.”

On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R–Janesville) just issued a statement saying he has no plans to run for governor in 2010.