Gov. Blunt won't seek another term
Governor Blunt said he accomplished everything he set out to do when he first ran for office.
Jan. 25, 2008
The capitol was in a frenzy on Tuesday afternoon following Gov. Matt Blunt's announcement that he would not seek re-election this year. The first-term Republican's decision could cause a shakeup to the political landscape in Missouri and drastically change the gubernatorial race.
Blunt videotaped his announcement on Monday evening and uploaded it to YouTube.com shortly after informing various legislators via a conference call of his decision. He held a news conference on Wednesday morning to field questions from a group of journalists.
Blunt said he made his decision after a few days of deliberation and prayer. But there was no specific moment that spurred his decision.
Blunt said he accomplished everything he set out to do when he ran for governor in 2004.
"I had a sense of mission when I first ran for governor," he said. "I didn't have that sense of mission for a second term."
Blunt said that through his period of reflection, he realized he had reached his goals for his term and decided to do what he said is best for Missourians.
"When you're spending more time in your speeches talking about what you've done than what you're going to do, I think it's time to move on," he said.
Blunt spent most of his time during the news conference citing his accomplishments and did the same during his State of the State address last week.
He said he turned the budget around, repaired a "broken" Medicaid system, created new jobs and increased higher education funding.
Despite Blunt's reasoning behind his decision, speculation about alternative motives trickled through the Capitol on Wednesday.
Some said it might be to join Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's administration, if Romney is elected. Blunt supports Romney's bid for the White House, and the former Massachusetts governor released a prepared statement acknowledging Blunt's decision.
"As a conservative leader and dedicated public servant, his efforts to improve the lives of others will not end when his term comes to a close," Romney said in the release.
Others speculated the reason was that, even after months of campaigning for millions of dollars, the incumbent governor found himself trailing Democrat Attorney General Jay Nixon in statewide polls.
"(Nixon) has been up double digits in polling throughout the entire campaign," Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said. "He's run a great campaign so far."
Blunt has also faced recent controversies, including a lawsuit from a former employee related to problems with Blunt and his staff deleting government e-mails.
Despite losing his "sense of mission," Blunt said he will continue to push initiatives he laid out in his State of the State address.
"I'm going to make the most of every day," he said.
But some Republicans, including Blunt, acknowledged that the announcement could hamper the governor's ability to push through policy and legislation this session.
"In some ways it will (affect) policy," Blunt said.
Rep. Ed Robb, R-Columbia, said he's not quite sure how Blunt's announcement would affect what happens this session.
"Let's just wait and see what happens," Robb said.
Nixon entered a room to Democrats chanting "governor," Wednesday to respond to Blunt's announcement. He stressed that his campaign will not be affected by his current lack of an opponent.
"It's not about who I'm against," Nixon said. "It's who we're for. The other side is uncertain. We're united."
But Nixon, whose campaign has relied heavily on attacking administration, could face a harder time now that he would have to campaign against someone outside of the administration. Nixon said that would not change his strategy.
"This campaign will continue to be about putting forward new, fresh ideas to move Missouri forward," Nixon said. "All of these people had great opportunities to disagree with (Blunt) and they certainly have not been famous for that."
Despite Blunt's true motives for stepping down or the rumored gubernatorial candidates, political turmoil in Missouri is almost guaranteed.
"They accomplished the mission," Nixon said. "And it's up to us to change that mission."
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