Wisconsin Gov. Officially Announces He Will Not Seek Third Term

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) said Monday that he would not stand for reelection in 2010, paving the way for a wide-open contest next year in that politically divided state.

Elected in 2002, Doyle is in his second four-year term and could have sought a third, as Wisconsin has no term limits. But Doyle said that he believed governors should serve only two terms, as such turnover "keeps the political world from becoming stagnant."

Doyle has been rumored as a candidate for an Obama administration post, but he said Monday that "I fully intend" to serve out his term, through January 2011.

"I know I will regret the decision many times over the coming year. But I am not going to go Brett Favre on you," Doyle said, referencing the former Green Bay Packers quarterback who has repeatedly vacillated about his retirement.

Like many governors, Doyle has had to steer his state through the challenges of a weak economy and rising unemployment. He signed a controversial budget in June that raises taxes and fees while still leaving Wisconsin with a deficit of more than $2 billion.

Against such a backdrop, recent poll numbers suggested that Doyle could face a difficult road to reelection. A June poll of likely Wisconsin voters taken by Research 2000 for the liberal blog Daily Kos pegged Doyle's personal approval rating at 43 percent favorable, 48 percent unfavorable. The survey showed Doyle trailing former governor Tommy G. Thompson (R) in a hypothetical matchup, though Doyle was ahead of other potential Republican challengers.

President Obama won Wisconsin in 2008 with 56 percent of the vote, and Democrats control both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and five of its eight House seats. Yet Republicans held the governor's office for 16 years before Doyle won it, and the state has had close races for a variety of offices in recent decades. And the GOP appears to be on something of a rebound in the state.

"Things are looking better for [Republicans] now after four or five years of things looking worse and worse for them," said Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

But Democrats say they are in position to hold the seat.

"Obviously, Wisconsin has been close in the past, but we've had a lot of electoral success there," said Democratic Governors Association spokeswoman Emily DeRose. "We're pretty proud of the field of candidates on our side."

Doyle did not say Monday whom he would support as his successor. Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton is expected to run for a promotion, while Rep. Ron Kind and state Sen. Jon Erpenbach reportedly are also interested in making the governor's race. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D), who was hospitalized Saturday night after intervening in an apparent domestic dispute near the Wisconsin State Fair, is considered another potential candidate.

On the Republican side, former congressman Mark Neumann and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker have already expressed interest in the contest. (The Research 2000 poll showed Lawton leading both Neumann and Walker in hypothetical matchups.) Other GOP candidates -- including Thompson, who held the governorship for 14 years before becoming George W. Bush's first health and human services secretary -- may explore the race now.