Stupak Mulls Run For Governor
January 14, 2010 - 12:41pm (Print)
Bart Stupak says he's seriously considering running for governor in Michigan in 2010.
Stupak said Tuesday that he will be traveling across his state in the coming weeks to gauge support for a bid, but added that he wants to avoid a bloody primary.
"I may very well be the strongest candidate," he said, adding that there are three or four qualified candidates looking at running. "I would hope party leaders would get behind a candidate," he said. "We can't have a primary battle. A divisive primary would not be good."
It would be hard to imagine there wouldn't be a primary battle for the Democratic nomination. Since Lieutenant Governor John Cherry announced last week that he would not run for the Democratic slot the race has been left wide open. Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith of Salem Township and State Senate Hansen Clarke of Detroit have already announced they are running. Meanwhile several others may jump into the race. House Speaker Andy Dillon has been thought as a strong contender for the seat. Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and former state Treasurer Bob Bowman are also considering running. And Detroit businesswoman Denise Ilitch met with White House officials on Monday about potentially running.
Stupak though, is being begged by the Democratic leadership not to leave his seat. He's convinced, at least, that only he can win it for the Dems.
Stupak said that he's already gotten a call from Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) urging him to run for re-election.
"It's a gone district, if I'm not in there," Stupak said. President Barack Obama won the district by a few hundred votes, Stupak said, despite pulling out all of the stops.
Of course Stupak, the Congressman who has angered most of the Democratic party with his amendment to ban coverage of abortion services in the healthcare reform bill, thinks that his reputation would be an asset in the Michigan gubernatorial race.
"I may very well be the strongest candidate because, as you know, I don't do everything the party tells me to," he told a clutch of reporters Tuesday evening outside a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus. "So in a way, that works well in a general."
Still one added benefit is that if Stupak runs it would likely mean he would be finished as a congressman. As the saying goes, with friends like these...
Not in my state! This could be traumatic. Current Governor Jennifer Grandholm was the only thing standing in the way of a Republican State and House implementing draconian anti-choice legislation for the first 4 to 6 years of her two terms. While the Democrats now control the House, ostensibly negating such legislation making it to the Governor's desk, we can never be too sure. It's embarassing enough that he's a Congressman from this state, for him to be the public face of the state would probably cause Michiganians to wear a bag over their heads when travelling outside of the state.
