WASHINGTON (WTVR)– – U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) has announced that he will not run for governor in 2013.
Despite the senator recently polling with a commanding lead in a race he had not even yet entered, he has chosen not to run for a second term as governor.
Warner said that he was approached by numerous Virginians and asked to consider running for governor, but he said that he has “a different job now–and it’s here in the United States Senate.”
“Believe me, being Governor was the best job I ever had. I was so proud that we were able to bring folks together, put partisanship aside, and together we moved Virginia forward,” Warner said in a statement released today.
Warner had said that he would make his final decision after the 2012 elections, and that he did contemplate the run with “heartfelt consideration.”
“But when I asked Virginians to hire me as their Senator, I made a promise to come to Washington to try to be a problem solver,” Warner said. “ I have to admit, it’s been tougher than I expected. But I’ve tried to keep at it.
The only declared Democratic candidate is former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe. In 2009, McAuliffe lost the gubernatorial primary to Creigh Deeds.
So far, the G.O.P candidates battling for their parties nod are Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
