Casey: Not Considering Gov Run

Sen. Bob Casey is apparently not considering a run for Governor in 2014. He clarified his stance during an interview Tuesday.

PoliticsPA asked Casey on Friday at Pennsylvania Society: “Senator, will you take this opportunity right now to rule out a run for Governor in 2014?”

He replied, “If I start speaking to a race in 2014 that’s as if we’re focused on 2014 instead of 2012.” He emphasized his efforts to avoid the ‘fiscal cliff’ and address some foreign policy problems. “Look, I’m really happy where I am. I’m really busy.”

On Tuesday, he told The Hill he’s not considering a bid (though he has yet to definitively rule it out).

Here’s the full exchange:

“I’m happy with the work I’m doing and I want to stay in the Senate, it’s as simple as that,” he said after walking out of Democrats’ weekly Senate luncheon.

The newly re-elected senator had triggered speculation about the race late last week, when he said at a New York City event for Pennsylvania lawmakers that he didn’t want to talk about 2014 yet.

“If I start speaking to a race in 2014 that’s as if we’re focused on 2014 instead of 2012,” he said last week before adding that he was “really happy where I am.”

Casey told The Hill that the speculation came because “reporters kind of fill in the blanks on you when you don’t make some grand statement.” When asked if he was completely ruling out a run, he responded that “If you rule something out that’s predicated by you spending a lot of time considering it in the first place.”

The Hill then asked if it’s best to say that he wasn’t considering it.

“Right,” he said with a laugh. “You actually said it better than I did.”

Should Casey desire to end speculation definitively, he could say something along the lines of, “I am ruling out a bid for Governor in 2014,” or, “There is no chance that I will run for Governor in 2014.”

3 Responses

  1. Casey was never going to run. He hates primaries and only runs when the field has been cleared for him.

  2. Ease up on the man — he’s busy governing in Washington. Maybe he’s going to put some thought into it over the Christmas holiday.

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